Hi,

Hope all is well.

… There’s something the Torah does very often.

It mixes “ethical obligations” together with “ritual laws”.

Here’s one example.

“Every person must respect their mother and father and keep my Sabbaths. (Leviticus, 19:3)

The Torah is making a point.

That both kinds of commandments are equally important.

Our obligations to other people.  And to G-d.

… And Shabbat in Judaism is central.

It’s a sanctuary in time.  A time to step back.  And focus.

On what life is all about.  And what it means to be a Jew.

… But there’s something strange about the wording of this verse.

‘Observe My Sabbaths.’

… Why ‘Sabbaths’.  In the plural.

Isn’t Shabbat just one day a week?

Jewish tradition has a very important answer to this question.

… That there are really two Shabbats.

One on Saturday.  At the end of the week.

That’s when Shabbat is observed.

The other?

… All week long.

Because that’s when the message of Shabbat is lived.  In every day life.

Here’s what it means:

… On Shabbat we connect to G-d.

And remind ourselves of the most important thing the Jewish People taught the world.

… Not just that there’s a G-d.

But that He put us here.

And He cares about how we live.

That He demands a life of ethics and morals.

And that we live up to His standards.

Not just to ours.

… That’s the real lesson of Shabbat.

Which means Shabbat isn’t just one day a week.

It’s all week long.

In our business dealings.

In our relationships.

And in everything else we do.

To always be challenging ourselves: I know what I want.

But what does G-d want?

… Shabbat is observed one day a week.

But it’s lived seven days a week.

Have a great Shabbos,