My First Shabbat In Israel

Hours prior to Shabbos, the Jewish Sabbath starting on Friday evening and concluding on Saturday, the shops close and the traffic dies down. The sounds of commerce and industry wind down to prepare for the day of rest. Mind you, this is Jerusalem – a particularly religious part of Israel – so the observance of Jewish holidays and tradition are commonly practiced. Although this is a “Jewish” state, not all Israelis agree on how Judaism should be represented and demonstrated at the communal or public level. Being pro-Israel and anti-religious is not an uncommon political position. Nonetheless, in Jerusalem, Shabbat falls on the city like a light and refreshing mist. According to Jewish law, halacha, a Jew can not perform work on the Sabbath. In modern times, the prohibition of “work” is reflected as not turning on a light, listening to the radio, driving a car, etc.

Being my first Shabbat in Israel, needless to say, I was excited. Friday evening dinner was at my school with the entire class and, afterwards, a number of us walked to a group of student’s flat for post-dinner revelry. The next morning, I failed to wake up in time for Shacharit or morning prayers. On Shabbos, in addition to the normal Shacharit, the Torah, the Five Books of Moses, is read and the parsha, the torah portion is discussed. I am eager to explore the variety of synagogues in Jerusalem for in its totality it represents the entire spectrum of Jewish practice. After Shacharit, around noon, the streets are bustling with families walking to Shabbos lunch. An interesting tradition in Jerusalem is for the men to continue to don their tallis, or prayer shawl, after services. In the States, one dons the tallis prior to prayer and removes it afterwards. For lunch, I visited the flat of a fellow student. Derived from the prohibition of work and “lighting fires”, the recipe of cholent was developed. It is a hearty stew that is prepared the prior to the beginning of Shabbos and it is kept warm on a hot plate or a crock pot.

At this point, a wise Jew would take a nap. Since the “weekend” starts on Friday, Thursday night is the “Friday” night in Israel. So being sleep deprived from last evening’s festivity, one continues the sleep deprivation with Shabbat evening’s excesses of eating and drinking. The observant Jew rousing himself on Saturday morning from his food coma to attend services and, then, eats and drinks again. At this point, you are exhausted and you need to the day of rest. Being new to Jerusalem, I do not know how to pace myself, so I took a walk to the Haas Promenade that overlooks the Old City.

Gentle reader, can you imagine what happened next? Seudah Shlishit or Third meal. Are we Jews or Hobbits? In the early evening, I went to third fellow student’s flat for the third meal where I, again, ate and drank. Mind all of the food was delicious and the company was exceptional, but I could not keep pace with these proficient Oneg Shabbat-ors. Oneg Shabbat is the spirit of Shabbat – eating, singing, and spending time with family and friends.

Shabbos concludes with the recitation of Havdalah – the ritual separation of Shabbat and the new week. On the outdoor roof deck of my fellow student’s flat, we sang songs, both Hebrew and Yiddish, and enjoyed the quiet of the evening. Even though my class has disparate background, we all commune on the common experience of Judaism so it creates an environment of camaraderie and familiarity. Needless to say, it was an incredible first Shabbat in Israel. So much so, that I went right to sleep.

It is easy being a Jew in Israel which is a very enticing and unique element. Nonetheless, as I am considering how to manifest my faith in the States, I cannot directly relate my experience within Israel. Being a Jew in the Diaspora has its own challenges and problems.