SHABBAT SHALOM – in Search of Re-ensoulment by Bobbie Ann Cole

 

 

WORSHIPPING AND WORLDLY ME

Sometimes I feel like two people— the one who acts like a committed Christian and the worldly one. Even when I’m writing godly books, my thoughts are on marketing them.

So, which is the real me? The one who writes for Him? Or for herself? The one who is riddled with guilt that she doesn’t do enough spiritually and practically for her faith?

To feel authentic, I need connection to God.

EVERYDAY THINGS

But everyday things so often get in the way.

Can you relate to this?

I want… I need to set aside time to appreciate

·      God’s creation,

·      My family,

·      His blessings,

·      My journey

OCEANS OF TIME

I need shabbat shalom— Sabbath peace. Orthodox Jewish writer Blu Greenberg describes the sabbath as ‘oceans of time’. She cautions that, ‘Oceans of time don’t happen by themselves.’

She gives the example of her own preparations for the Jewish sabbath, a day every week when observant Jews won’t open their shops— even though it’s Saturday and potentially the best trading day of the week.

Blu will have invited family, considered her menu, shopped for ingredients, cooked, prepared a beautiful table in order to be ready for the beginning of   Shabbat at nightfall on a Friday.

It lasts until there are three stars in the sky on a Saturday. This echoes the time that God rested from all His work, following His creation of the world in Genesis 1. Since the text reads: ‘It was evening, and it was morning, a first day,” and so on, Jewish days begin like God’s in the evenings and last until the following evening.

SABBATH REST

The requirement to keep the sabbath is the fourth of the Ten Commandments:  “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.  For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy,” (Ex 20:8-11) – my underlining.

What are we supposed to do with our Sabbath rest?

I think that depends on what we need. But take it we should. And my previous faith, Judaism has some pointers to help us.

I have spent many a Friday celebrating the Sabbath with family. There is great beauty in the rituals that we go through.

First, we light the sabbath candles, all the females together, hiding our eyes from the candles we have kindled, as we recite the blessing in Hebrew over them— then taking away our hands to enjoy the ‘surprise’ of seeing the shabbat lights burning.

REST AND RE-ENSOULMENT

The host or senior male will then read from a siddur, a prayer book: ‘6 days you shall labour and on the 7^th day Shabbat vayinafash,’ a sabbath of Rest and re-ensoulment, through an eternal covenant from God, from generation to generation.

Next comes kiddush, which means sanctification: a blessing over the shared wine cup that is passed around, a blessing over the twisted challah, semi-sweet bread that is torn and dipped in salt as it is passed around. The letters in Hebrew of salt melach, are the same as those for forgiveness, machal.

At the Last Supper, Jesus used kiddush as inspiration for what has become Holy Communion, reversing the order of the wine and the bread. It has been suggested to me that this was to emphasize that he was the Bread of Heaven whose blood was spilled.

Through these spiritual acts in the home, a threshold has been crossed, marking a time that is different from the rest of the week: shabbat shalom.

WELCOMING THE SABBATH BRIDE

Those who welcome in the sabbath at synagogue on a Friday night will turn towards that door as we sing L’cha Dodi, Arise the Bride. The sabbath is considered a beautiful bride, fresh and pure and beautifully adorned. We imagine her coming through the door, into our presence.

Another threshold.

There may follow a chavurah shared supper. Chavurah means fellowship.

For this, too, we need to plan what we will bring and how we will help.

HAVDALAH

At the end of the sabbath, the return to everyday life and the transition to everyday life is marked through Havdalah, which means ‘separation’. A candle with several wicks is lit. Another shared cup of wine is lit. We smell sweet-smelling spices.

EMBRACING THE CHRYSALIS

In Mark 4, Jesus tells the parable of the farmer who prepares the land and sows. Later, he harvests, But in-between, when he does nothing, God does the work, growing the seedling into a crop.

It is like the transformation of a caterpillar into a wonderful, winged butterfly. The second stage is the chrysalis that looks like dead time, or at least down time. But, without it, there could be no transformation.

We need to embrace the chrysalis is we are to grow.

Since oceans of time for rest and re-ensoulment do not happen on their own, we need to understand that we must stop, listen to God and submit to Him.

We do that through preparation and marking thresholds:

·      Begin with ritual.

·      End with ritual.

·      In-between, seek God.

 

Bobbie Ann Cole is a Christian writer, speaker and writing teacher. She runs a number of free groups for fellowship and learning. You can take your pick of them at http://ahava.space. 

She also writes a blog/vlog. Read her posts and get her free teaching MORE THAN A MOM, The Legacy of some strong and spirit-filled Bible women at http://scrollchest.com.