I was chatting with a neighbor who had recently retired. We were discussing our gardens.
There's always so much to do, I commented.
Yes, he replied. But I have decided to observe a day of rest. I try not to do anything one day a week.
Oh, I said, somewhat surprised. I try to take Sundays off as well. I especially try to avoid shopping. If God wants me to have a day of rest, I assume I need it ... and I'll take it!
Rest is, I think, an undervalued gift. Many of us complain about having too much to do - yet we have a hard time doing nothing, taking a day off.
In Israel, the day of rest (Saturday) is a quiet day on the streets. Shops are closed until sundown, when everything bursts to life again. For many, the morning is spent praying in the synagogue, then families go for walks (driving is also forbidden) and have friends over for tea and cake (Ugat Shabbat) in the afternoon. Observant Jews disconnect doorbells and telephones, so it is fine to just drop in on friends unannounced! The Sabbath is a quiet social time - as friends and family take time to reconnect. Others take time to nap.
I have often wondered how society would be different if we observed the other rests mentioned in the Bible too (as outlined by Moses in The Law) ... Letting the ground lie fallow every 7 years, an agricultural law which is also the origin of taking a year's Sabbatical from teaching. Was this Sabbatical rest meant only for the land, or did shopkeepers in the towns observe it too? I know that professors on Sabbaticals are expected to work - doing research, perhaps, or studying at a different university. This mental disengagement from teaching was expected to refresh and renew the academic. Would we all benefit from a year off of our regular jobs every 7 years? Would we see a boost in productivity and creativity if we tried to observe it? What would the financial repercussions be?
And what about the biggest rest of all mentioned in the Bible? The Jubilee - when all debts were canceled and the land lay at rest... What would happen if we observed that one as well, every 50 years? Would there be economic collapse or economic renewal?
We will probably never know!
Jubilee - that would be interesting!
ReplyDeleteAs a matter of (historical) fact, Jubilee has never been observed - nor was the Sabbath rest for the ground before the exile. Part of the reason the exile was as long as it was is that the land had the sabbath rests it had not had all the while the Jewish people had lived in it from the conquest.
ReplyDeleteI believe that farmers now either let a plot of land lie fallow, or rotate crops, which has the same effect.