Shabbat

ShabbatShabbat is the Sabbath day, the Day of Rest, and is observed from Friday night through Saturday night. Is set aside from the rest of the week both in honor of the fact that God rested on the seventh day after creating the world. On Shabbat, many Jews observe prohibitions from various activities designated as work. Shabbat is traditionally observed with festive meals, wine, challah, prayers, the reading and studying of Torah, conjugal relations, family time, and time with friends. creeps up on my week,

With the tenacity of a zealous bride,

Dusk falls into the candlelight

As a divine flickering shadow play

Along the chambers of my mind,

The world around me quietens

With a sudden intake of breath,

And, when the doors of my heart open,

She gladdens me with her insistence,

Her beauty disarms my impatience

Until my soul’s frenetic beating stops,

Under the canopy, I dine with the Moabite, RuthAn important female biblical character with her own book. The Book of Ruth, read on Shavuot, tells the story of Ruth’s devotion to her mother-in-law, Naomi, and their return to Israel. Ruth’s story is often read as the first story of conversion. Ruth is the grandmother of King David.,

MosesThe quintessential Jewish leader who spoke face to face with God, unlike any other prophet, and who freed the people from Egypt, led them through the desert for forty years, and received the Torah on Mt. Sinai. His Hebrew name is Moshe. overstuffs me with instruction,

The prophets bring me visions of wonder,

David reminds me why I love words,

I see my beloved’s finery

And remember why I welcome her in,

Through the morning blessings

My eyes will open, anew, to the hills,

I have forsaken my silly scornful manner,

Instead, I thank her for intervening,

For imposing herself into the humdrum

Of less meaningful chores,

My gratitude, in a litany, calls me back

To join with the source of all life.