- Sabbath
- Chashmal on Shabbat
This is part of a collection that deals with the evolution of the some of the fundamental tenets of Judaism. It is not that it is in any way to diminish, G-d forbid, or to denigrate any of the great Sages and Rabbis of yore. It is continuing the evolution of the Jewish faith that has taken place over millenia. No-one can claim that this form that we practised today resembles, except in broad strokes, the practise as written in the Torah, and, to a large some extent,
Sabbath
The principle of the Shabbat:
Whatever you do every day, one day of the week, for one day out of seven, you cease to do that. If you work every day, one day a week you do not work. If you smoke every day, Shabbat, you do not smoke. if you drive every day, walk or cycle instead on this day. If you watch TV, every day, switch off your TV, and read a book or go for a walk. If you pray, pray differently. If you meditate in the lotus in a meditation room, perhaps try a walking meditation, or meditate on a flower in your garden.
The only things you do not stop doing are those that you need for life - sleep, drink, eat, oblute (from ablution).
But this is the first stage. What R' Yehuda calls the resting stage. A place to calm the nefesh, your soul.
The next stage is more challenging. It requires you to activate your will, and commit. For it is the beginning of the work - now that you are rested.
Here, the goal is to introduce "improvements", now that you have "cleared" space for growth. And the direction in which to grow is upward of course, and that is, to improve what you are doing in your Shabbat space. Seek those things (actions) that nourish your soul, and lift your spirits.
That is why, if you are involved in something uplifting like prayer or meditation, do it differently.
Shabbat is day you give to G-d. To the other, the unknown that has gifted us with this event we call life. Think of it as a tithe of time and space. It is entering into the realm of the possible, which would be impossible in the zero possibility world of the manifest/real. Thus, it does not need to contain the proscribed, except for those who find it easier, and more comfortable to be a passenger. Nor can it contain the frivolous exploration of the perpetually seeking. Each change, each improvement, has to be explored, has to be crested.
In order to receive the gift...
Chashmal on Shabbat
What if the decision to associate chashmal with fire, and impose all the same criterion to its usage as was associated with fire in the religion?
Even if that was the true prophetic insight, perhaps it is not an "equals", but an "equivalent" and there are some places where it fits exactly, and some that it doesn't - even some that we haven't even thought of, or perceived yet. We were not aware of a lot of the following implications of this new force that followed the writ.
And, in this time of lockdown, this decision is being tested. Just as the decisions that were made regarding kashrut were made in a time where certain context that have emerged were not yet present. At each step of evolution of the Jewish cultures and traditions, we have stepped forward into them, and, even though there might have been dissension in the ranks, eventually stepped forward into the new revolution.
For instance, one man, Isaac Luria, the Ari, changed the course of Jewish evolution. Another Isaac..., not even an ordained rabbi, significantly influenced the way we conducted our affairs. Rambam, Maimonides, influenced many generations of Jews with his Mishna Torah. We had certain traditions that were clearly laid out during the temple era, which are no longer practised, and have, for the most part, been replaced by others.
There are two major areas that need to take into account what is happening in the world around us, and not to bury our heads in the sand, saying "God will save us". Story of Adam and Eve
The first is kashrut. The second is electricity.
Let us begin with the latter. If we can no longer gather and take our services together, the best we have at this stage is to do it virtually. What if we recorded a shabbat service, and the screen automagically went on (ala shaon shabbat) and we could watch and participate in the service in one's own home.
If we were allowed, we could even carry on the service together (ala One Giant Leap). This is the kind of collaboration we need. We cannot be held by these constraints that were interpreted by a bygone age. Just as the original tablets could be read by anyone in their mother tongue, so He would want us to see it through eyes that are true to the Beholder, and not trying to see what others see. If the intention is not to use it for spiritual upliftment, then it is not sanctioned. Remember, the truth is known to the One.