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How can "living in Jewish time" sustain you and your relationships?

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If you choose to observe Shabbat as a day apart from the rest of the week, how do you establish or maintain that observance as a regular practice?

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Comment on the luni-solar calendar of the Jewish people. How do you think it shapes the Jewish people in our modern world?

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I’d say it would be good to start small and establish a new routine, creating a new habit.

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I’d say it would be good to start small and establish a new routine, creating a new habit.

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I know that for me, it takes de-programming from all the years of not practicing a Jewish life. I think the important thing is awareness and intention. Be aware of the date and time and make intentions to honor Shabbat the best I can.

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In my own house, I’ve started observing Shabbat by lighting two candles and attending online services both Friday evening and Saturday morning (I don’t live near a synagogue). I also intentionally make it time to reconnect with my friends and family and to disconnect from work.

I also bless my food and take time to thank God for the week and the day of rest.

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For me, I need to fight the urge to go "all of nothing" at first. The key is to slowly introduce rituals into my life. Last week, I lit two candles and made sure the apartment was clean and the grocery shopping was done. This week I will add the blessing of the wine and have a special meal.

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I’ve found that moving slow to build routines is the best way for me to make changes. Right now, I’m starting by marking the start and end of Shabbat each week. I have reminders set that notify me as I approach and move through the experience. I’ll soon be incorporating more ways to celebrate and even include my young daughter.

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I started by not mindlessly grabbing my phone to scroll through social media, etc. I try to do things with intention on that day. I also read and reconnect with friends and family. For resting, I sleep until I wake up (without an alarm). My partner is not joining this journey with me, but is super supportive, which helps.

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One of the most important aspects of maintaining a relationship is allocating adequate time. Living in Jewish time, there is pressure to set aside Shabbat as a day of worship, rest, and spending time with loved ones. I feel that having that pressure usually results in having a full day (at the very least) to check in on relationships, to tend to them, to make amends from the past week, which can lead to closer and more fulfilling relationships.

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I found the chapter “The Possibilities of Shabbat – Questions and Answers” (Honoring Tradition, pp. 75–78) particularly helpful, especially in thinking about how to make space for Shabbat within my busy, socially active urban life. Shabbat often seems to arrive at what feels like the “worst” time of the week: Friday evening is usually when people go out, and Saturday is often reserved for wandering the city and sometimes shopping. Yet this tension may be precisely what makes Shabbat so paradoxically meaningful.

The chapter suggests committing to Shabbat rituals—starting with something small, like lighting candles—for several consecutive weeks in order to build a habit that one begins to miss when it is not observed. It also encourages attending synagogue as a way to experience solidarity with others who may feel a similar tension between observing Shabbat and the pull of the surrounding world. I find both of these suggestions very persuasive and intend to follow them.

At the same time, I am still discovering my own way of observing Shabbat. One possibility is to dedicate Saturdays to engaging with art in some form—something I already tend to do, but which could become a more intentional Shabbat practice. To be continued.

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I love the quote from Rabbi Heschel in today's lesson, which describes how the Sabbath "is a day on which we are called to share in what is eternal in time." In this way, "living in Jewish time" connects our families and communities together today, but also connects back to families and communities that have celebrated through eternal time. It's a very powerful expression of connection.

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Living in Jewish time keeps you grounded. It creates a sense of structure, discipline, and routine that remind us of who we are and who we want to be amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life. That structure amplifies the importance of family and our relationships and acts as a constant reminder never to take them for granted.

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Find ways to observe Shabbat that both work for you practically and intentionally. Find the customs and traditions that are not a complete shock to the system or disruption, but also act as that weekly reminder to put one day aside. Shabbat is all about taking one day a week to be closer to God, and it's all about taking the time to find the routine and mitzvot that allows that closeness to flourish.

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Having and maintaining a separate calendar system is what has allowed Judaism to last as long as it has and continue into the modern era. If holidays and traditions are landmarks, the calendar is the map. A landmark is only as good as we are able to navigate there. The calendar acts as a map to navigate the Jewish people through their relationship with the world and to God, regardless of the era.

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Our house has discussed prioritizing observing Shabbat, so we aligned as a team to ensure we do this. We ensure that we have the candles set out in the morning of Shabbat to not forget the candle lighting to kick of Shabbat.

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Our house has discussed prioritizing observing Shabbat, so we aligned as a team to ensure we do this. We ensure that we have the candles set out in the morning of Shabbat to not forget the candle lighting to kick of Shabbat.