Page 12 - The Jewish Voice - March '20
P. 12
Page 12, The Jewish Voice
simchas
asK the rabbi
Caleb Elias
The Significance of Shabbat after Shabbat, but then said to himself, “Since I thought
Caleb attends IMS and about the repair on Shabbat, I will never repair it.”
is in the pre-law program. Question: I am not Although Jewish law doesn’t expect this degree of
Caleb is a very active kid Jewish but every Saturday respect for Shabbat and thoughts are not considered
and loves being on the move I see Jews walking down work, this unnamed individual accepted on himself an
and especially outdoor Prosperity Farms Road to extra stringency of Shabbat observance. He rested from
activities and sports. Caleb synagogue. I understand the thought of work. To him, even a thought of work
has been part of a baseball that Sabbath means a day was a violation of Shabbat and he took upon himself a
team/league since he was of rest and a day to spend consequence for breaking Shabbat.
age four and never stopped. with your family, but what This little story is interesting on so many levels, but
He loves playing all sports is the significance and here are three lessons that I took away from it:
involving a ball and also what is the lesson non- 1. The Torah is teaching us that we are not only in
really enjoys fishing. When Jews can learn from it? control of what we do and speak, but we can also be in
he is not playing sports he Answer: I recently control of our thoughts. Why else would this individual
is watching sports and he is the #1 NEW YORK FAN! read an unusual and fascinating anecdote in the Talmud “punish” himself for the unwanted thought?
2. Our thoughts are real and powerful. For the most
Jacob Ross relating to Shabbat observance. part, Jewish law only governs our speech and actions.
The Torah only requires you to rest on Shabbat from
physical action. There are a host of activities that are Most Jewish laws do not apply to our thoughts. Only
Jacob Linder Ross considered work that you should refrain from doing on G-d is privy to our thoughts, and between us and
became a bar mitzvah on Shabbat, the day of rest. The rabbis added an additional our Maker, the inner conversations of the mind are
March 7, 2020, at Temple layer of rest, extending the Shabbat prohibition to important. We should recognize the influence that our
Beth Am. Jacob is a seventh speech. They wanted us to refrain even from speaking thoughts have.
grader at the Pine School, about work. Although not tiresome in its own right, the 3. Shabbat is more than a technical day off from
where he is involved in spirit of Shabbat is enhanced by controlling our speech. work. It is a day of spiritual rest.
student council and more The rabbis learned this from the fourth For one day a week, we turn off from the workweek
recently, Model UN. When commandment: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep and devote ourselves to introspection and connection.
Jacob is not in class, he it holy. Six days you shall work, but the seventh day We stop being creators and experience the Creator.
enjoys playing soccer and is a Sabbath to the Lord your G-d.” The rabbis learned Besides practical observance, we should be mindful
hanging out with his friends from the words “Shabbat to the Lord” and read it as of the spirit that permeates the day. We should be so
at Pine. He also loves skiing “Shabbat like the Lord”; our rest should mirror G-d’s caught up with the inner soul of Shabbat that even our
and playing tennis, which he rest on the seventh day of creation. G-d created the thoughts are focused on inner pursuits.
has done for as long as he can remember. Jacob has been world with speech, so on the seventh day when he Rabbi Leib serves as spiritual leader for the
an animal lover his whole life, and has been pet-sitting finally finished creating the world, he was rested from Jewish Community Synagogue at the Chabad of North
for neighbors since he was eight. His mitzvah project is speech. The Talmud, therefore, contends that we too Palm Beach; phone (561) 624-7004, email rabbi@
collecting supplies and money for Furry Friends. Furry should rest from all mundane speech on Shabbat. chabadpalmbeach.org. The advice offered in this
Friends has had a special place in his heart since fostering The Talmud shares a story of a certain hasid — an column is for informational purposes only and is not
kittens and adopting a cat two years ago. extremely pious Jew — who took this a step further. intended as a substitute for professional advice.
He was strolling in his vineyard on Shabbat when he
noticed a breach in the fence. He thought to repair it :
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