Aug 02 2009
Serenity: The Gift of Shabbat
July is now behind us. This was a very special month for me. Let me explain why:
For almost three years I was working as a youth director at a local synagogue. This entailed mass amounts of time and energy, most of which consumed my Shabbats and holidays.
After these three years my position drew to a close. July 1st was my first day as a “free man” again. And like someone who suffered dramatically for a long period and suddenly experienced the bliss of pain cessation, the peace and serenity in my life started shining like crazy.
Shabbat is an incredible gift God has bestowed upon the Jewish people. I almost regret the fact that I distorted it for such a long period of time. I hope that everyone takes time to learn about this wonderful part of our tradition and culture, so they can feel as absolutely fantastic as I do right now.
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Please see my previous posts about this wonderful and precious gift we call Shabbat:
How I came to observe my first Shabbat.
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Disclaimer: I would just like to explain for a moment what exactly it means that I worked on Shabbat, when I firmly believe that working on Shabbat is forbidden for Jewish people.
First, the definition of “work” on Shabbat is very specific. In no way did I ever perform the work which is actually forbidden on the Sabbath. See here for further details.
Nevertheless, it could be argued that it’s still inappropriate to be paid for employment on Shabbat. This would be quite a challenge, seeing as rabbis ALWAYS work on Shabbat. It’s one of the most important parts of this profession.
The general principle is that we are essentially being paid for work done on the other days of the week, and that which we actually do on Shabbat is a semi-voluntary extension.
If you wish to argue that it still might not be in the “spirit of Shabbat”, well, for this I have no real answer. All I can say is, I’m happy to have my Shabbat back! 
