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| How observantly would you say you observe Shabbat from 1-10? |
| 1- Not at all. Not one thing. It's just another day of the week to me. |
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16% |
[ 2 ] |
| 2- I could do less, but only a little bit; I really do almost nothing. |
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8% |
[ 1 ] |
| 3- I don't do the whole shabang, but it's definately part of my weekly routine. |
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16% |
[ 2 ] |
| 4- I do some stuff. Little stuff. So, I guess, fairly observant. |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
| 5- I do a good amount of stuff. I observe Shabbat well. |
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8% |
[ 1 ] |
| 6- I could do more, but I really do plenty. And I mean a lot. |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
| 7- I bust my a** for Shabbat. I am very Observant. |
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8% |
[ 1 ] |
| 8- There is almost nothing more that I could do. Shabbat is really important to me. |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
| 9- I am pretty much as Observant of Shabbat as Possible. Extremely Observant. |
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16% |
[ 2 ] |
| 10- I follow Shabbat literally as Observantly as is humanly possible. I do everything. |
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25% |
[ 3 ] |
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| Total Votes : 12 |
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 Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 3:42 pm
Without revealing where I was this weekend, I played a lot of Chess in the wilderness (Won 5 out of 7 games) and has Orthodox Shabbat imposed upon me, services and Mishnaic restrictions and all. This got me thinking about Shabbat and what it means to me, and to all of you.
2
I acknowledge Shabbat on Friday nights by lighting two candles(In case one goes out, right?) so I don't feel so goyish and make threads called "RANT!!!!!!!!" in the JGG. I put on a kippah, set down the tin foil, grab two candles from the box, place the candles in the holders that my mom got for her Bat Mitzvah, stike a match, light the candles, and say the blessing. Then I usually walk into the other room and turn on the TV or come here.
Obviously, I do not oberve Shabbat. Not for more time than it takes me to turn around and turn on something electric, anyway. Like lightswitches: Forbidden by the Talmudic Responsa because it is similar to lighting a fire and because it completes a circuit, therefore creating comething that wasn't there before, forbidden while resting.
As many of you realise, because of the Aspergers and my personality overall, I am a kid at heart. I don't want to turn off my electronics. I have observed Shabbat before, and I end up feeling relief when it's over. It's annoying, and it makes me really dislike Shabbat, which I don't want to do; Shabbat should be a joyous occasion(Isn't that one reason why we are commanded to shtup on Shabbat?), not some annoying 24-hour period where you look at the clock until it finally runs out and you can have fun again. And that is what Shabbat is to me when I observe it.
Shabbat is described in the Torah as day when work and lighting fire are forbidden. It's a holiday that is completely based off of what NOT to do. Even when the Talmud expands on what Shabbat is, it is largely defined by what you can't do. You can't do this, you can't do that. You wanted to do that? Too bad; It's Shabbat. It's a negative day.
Now I am aware that electronics can be overrated; I also like to read books, which is just fine on Shabbat. But the principle remains the same; You are constantly thinking about all the little things you can't do; Super Observant Jews won't even tear perforated Toilet Paper and they have to tear piles of sheets beforehand. WHAT A PAIN IN THE NECK.
What do I do on Shabbat? Light candles and then make the informed decision to do whatever the Hell I want.
And I barely even know what Havdalah is, so I don't do that either.
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Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2009 7:39 am
In your poll, choices 7 through 10 seem pretty much identical, to me.
Anyway, moving on. Yes, Shabbat is defined largely by what one can't do. However, everything that's not on the list of DON'Ts is on the list of DOs. For instance:
You can use light/electricity, you just can't actively manipulate it. Therefore, I don't turn on or off the lights, TV, computer, microwave, stove, oven, coffee maker, blender, mixer. I do turn on the bathroom, kitchen, dining, and living room lights before Shabbat begins. I read my favorite books, without a lot of noisy electronic distractions, use the bathroom, sit and talk with guests (in adequate lighting) all day without worrying about having to go somewhere.
You can use fire, too, just not actively manipulate it. I leave the oven on at about 200 Fahrenheit degrees so that I can put solid foods (cooked prior to Shabbat, then put into the refrigerator overnight) into it in the morning before synagogue and come home to a nice hot casserole or roast for lunch. When camping, I set up my campfire Friday afternoon, bank it right before candle lighting time, and leave a pot of food buried in it. That way I and the others in my encampment can eat hot meals on Shabbat evening, noon, and afternoon.
But yes, mostly Shabbat is about relationships rather than about getting anything done. We pray more so we can enhance our relationship to the divine; we pray together and then have a little nosh so we can enhance our relationship to the community. Then we go home and enhance our relationship to our family, pets, neighbors, friends. It's a time when you can focus on the conversation you're having, rather than on the "flatscreen god" which is shut away for the duration of Shabbat. After running, doing, making, refining, and organizing all week, Shabbat is a really welcome respite. The more I observe it, the more I find I look forward to it. I've seen a bumper sticker that says "Hang in there, Shabbos is coming!" and I just love that sticker. It is how I feel for most of the busy, hectic, noisy week: if I can just last another day or two, I can finally relax.
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Eloquent Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 8:09 am
Good news!
My friend's sleeping over tonight, and since it's a Friday night and he's a Jewish guest I convinced my family to participate in Shabbat for once, you know, so we don't look like goys in front of him. (Even though I know this guy and he's actually more Reform than I am, but whatever.)
So...
Usually, I just light the candles by myself with the kitchen elctric lights on with my head covered while everyone else just watches TV. confused
Tonight, everyone will be present for the Candle lighting. Everyone's head will be covered. The TV will be off for the candle-lighting, as will the electric lights. My mom will buy a loaf of Challah for us, which we will cover and say the blessing for. I will read Lecha Dodi. blaugh
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 9:26 pm
B"H
I am 15, when I was young very young we convertied to judiasm....shh dont tell the Rabbi I mentiond it. We used to pretare our tolitpaper. (I got to stay up late thursday night and wtach survivor with my Imma if I hlped with it) and all the kids would go around taping lights on or off. She evntually divorced my Tattie, not a big deal he was not a very nice Mench any way, and unfortunantly married a goy (the best dad I have had my entier life....but still a goy) We were not practicing at all for a very long time. I wore pants Played video games and watched staerday morning cartoons. One day my Imma decided to enforce a tiny bit of practice in our family, we all desagreed with ot for a while. So she stopped. However soon we started attending a Chabad and we went to camp there. I went to one year of camp wearing shorts and tanktops, but I saw all the camp counselors there long skirts long shirts on 100 deggres outside. I then rememberd that I was not the only Jew on the face of this earth. XD ( We did not live around anything jewish what so ever then) So the next year, I started to go to camp agin but this time I owned ONE black long skirt, I wore that skirt for the two weeks at this day camp of course as soon as I got home the jeans came back but for that day camp that 6 hours I wore the one long shirt under all my short sleeve shirts and the one long black skirt. It was then, I was nearly 12 probably near december I was in the mall and say two long denim skirts on sale that I decided I will dress modestly. And thus is the beggining of the anyoence I cause my Goy wounderfull dad. I enforced kosher modest clothing and then came the Sabbath. At first it was soooo hard to keep. I would think of all the things I could not do. But I perseverd, I fought with my wounderfull dad and keeping the Sabbath every week, he just did not understand why I did. So for about a month I just gave up. I quite. I then relized that it was not just my body that needed rest. My sould my neshama was soufering too. So to this day I still saddly fo off and on with being shomer Shabbis, unfortunantly I still fight with my wounderfull dad over every new practice I pick up but every time I stop what I am doing I realize that its not just my body that soufers but also my neshama.
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 4:39 pm
Hmm...that stuff usually depends on if im at my moms or dads...both are religious but only my dad is orthodox.....he does the whole deal....my mom on the other hand doesn't really...oh and Lumanny Havdalah is pretty much you say a blessing to end shabbos on spices, a drink, and a candle with more than one wick
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 8:01 am
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 8:03 am
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