Abraham Heschel is one of the most respected Jewish scholars of the 20th century and of an orthodox view friendly to Christian belief. He was an active participant in the Civil Rights movement and wrote a seminal study called The Prophets and a number of works of reflective and broad scholarship.

In this slender and reknowned volume, Heschel sets forth an explanation of the Sabbath tradition among the Jews. In my faulty way I would like to recall here to mind some of the things that I have learned, the questions that it raised and the contingent reflections I have had in relation to it.

One thing that stands out is the cogency of Heschel's explanation of the Sabbath as a spiritually fitting rhythm of life. He speaks of the rest, the menuha, of the Sabbath not in the negative sense of merely ceasing labor.

"Menuha which we usually render with `rest' means here much more than withdrawal from labor and exertion, more than freedom from toil and strain or activity of any kind. Menuha is not a negative concept but something real and intrinsically positive." p.. 22-23

Like Aristotle and other ancient Greeks' conception of leisure, the conception of the Sabbath rest is positive in nature, and is viewed as the purpose and culmination of labor. Work in the mundane realities is to culminate in rest and contemplation from which we may cease from the hustle and bustle and attend in quietness and rest to the Lord. As it is says in Isaiah, "In quietness and rest is your strength..."

It seems to me that perhaps a great enduring strength in the religious culture of the Jewish people lies centrally in the keeping of the Sabbath. In so doing, they fulfill that of which the verse I quoted above speaks. I counterpoise this in my mind with the ambition to control and conquer space in Descartes' schematic. This brings me to a major point of the book. Heschel finds a distinction between the Jewish religion and other religions in that in others' religions, grand temples and cathedrals are built as sacred space, but that in the Jewish religion a cathedral in time is built to God, the cathedral of the Sabbath. He notes the distinction between this and for instance Spinoza's propensity for supposing the geometrico sufficient for explanation of all, an extension of Descartes, and in some sense the paradigm of the modern, and especially of science.

"The higher goal of spiritual living is not to amass a wealth of information, but to face sacred moments", Heschel writes. This reminds me of the experiences related of Jacob in the Bible. There is one in particular, perhaps a more obscure one, but one which struck me by its nature as conveying indeed a real historical experience, a sacred moment, which moved Jacob to purify his household. Judaism, and Christianity after it, are distinct in being irreducibly historical in their accounts which are punctuated by pivotal sacred moments, and which also imply sacred moments in the life of every believer. If these sacred moments in the Bible are mythologized in their entirety, as for instance, it seems to me, the philosopher Eric Voegelin does, then they are completely devalued. They are no longer the Faith.

Part of the cogency of Sabbath-keeping seems to me to lie in the nature of the self and our relation to God. We live a fractured and distracted existence. The fractured paintings of Picasso for instance seem to capture some of the fractured-ness of self in the modern world. Resting and ceasing allows us to remember what it is all for, to renew our bearing and orientation to the ultimate and in so doing helps to fulfill the ultimate of our being or existence. The shalom, the peaceful fullness of living, is attained only in this beholding relationship. But it is not all about self and certainly not about "self-help". I think of the over-extendedness of Descartes who made the leap to supposing mathematics valid for all realms of human inquiry, and the motivated definition of the self that is inherited markedly from him which leaves no place of honor and recognition to the infinite and the to the I and Thou. Contrast this with the Sabbath which recognizes a limitedness to man, but not merely a limitedness but a purpose and a directedness of man's aspirations, which establishes an end to man's grasping control and allows for a beholding and a composition of the self to the whole.

This reminds me of Martin Buber in that the Sabbath is such that it is to help us to rise beyond the I-and-It to the wholeness of our being in the I and Thou. When this is learnt through living wisely, then even in the "chrysalis state of the It," the I and Thou is still intact. In the same way the Sabbath principle of orientating toward the eternity in our hearts, when kept wisely, becomes something that persists through the days of labor.

It seems to me too that the Sabbath is very much related to the Jewish tradition of universality in the doctrine of the Imago Dei which became in modern times the basis of human rights thought. The humaneness seems to me related to the anthropology/ view of the self and of relation to God and man manifested in the practice. Through the quietness and rest and contemplation, the human soul is equipped to help others, the helpless, the homeless, the outcast and the needy. There needs to be sought and grown a wholeness out of which kindness and ministry is deepened.

An image that I found particularly poignant was in a rabbinic tale that Heschel related and drew morales from. Honestly, the tale was largely outlandish and comic-bookish to my ears, but at the end there was the beautiful story of an old man who ran by holding bundles of myrtles to honor the Sabbath. Myrtles are fragrant flowers that are ubiquitous in the traditional Jewish wedding ceremonies. The old man running at twilight to welcome the Sabbath represented Israel. The Sabbath is seen as a bride based on the injunction in the Old Testament to keep the Sabbath, which uses a word which has the association of a wedding in it:

"When the people of Israel stood before the mountain of Sinai, the Lord said to them: `Remember that I said to the Sabbath: The Community of Israel is your mate.' Hence: "Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it" (Exodus 20:8 ) The Hebrew word le-kadesh, to sanctify, means in the language of the Talmud, to consecrate a woman, to betroth. Thus the meaning of the word on Sinai was to impress upon Israel the fact that their destiny is to be the groom of the sacred day, the commandment to espouse the seventh day." Pp. 51-52.

The image strikes me as beautiful and conveys the positive nature of the Sabbath in the Jewish thought and imagination. Traditionally averse to personification, in this case they personify the Sabbath as a bride. Heschel elaborates on this wonderfully.

In closing, although I still have questions about the relation of Christianity to the Sabbath and the keeping of special days, I am convinced of the cogency of the principle (and of the value of exploring the relation further), so that it is incumbent upon me to give careful thought about how I might order my life in such a way that conforms to this knowledge wholly, and that I might encourage the community of Christ to do likewise, not legalistically but in order to live.

Heschel wrote this book for us all. His metaphorical descriptions of the Holy Day are vivid and tangible. This book is more entry level than others he has written. Though most of his philosophy is comprehensible, in this book he allowed his readers to relish the simple harmony of the weekly convocation. A wonderful read. I have given away several copies to friends.

As a Bible believer (Baptist) I have no choice but to agree with the thesis of this book and that is God gifted us with the Seventh Day Sabbath. What makes this book even better is the rich insight and poetical writing style describing the benefits of the Sabbath rest being observed. Intelligent, thoughtful reading it's rich contents take time to digest and think through. But at 100pps it is one of a kind in a class of it's own and if you only have one book on the Sabbath (other than your Bible) this is the best. J Michael Nace Life Isn't Fair but God Is-One Man's Battle to Stay in the Ministry

As a Bible believer (Baptist) I have no choice but to agree with the thesis of this book and that is God gifted us with the Seventh Day Sabbath. What makes this book even better is the rich insight and poetical writing style describing the benefits of the Sabbath rest being observed. Intellectual, not easy reading as it's rich contents take time to digest and think through. But at 100pps it is one of a kind in a class of it's own and if you only have one book on the Sabbath (other than your Bible) this is the best.

This is a thoughtfully written reflection on the meaning of the Sabbath that is appropriate for both Christians and Jews. The book is wonderful for spiritual reading and reflection. It adds depth and meaning to our worship and praise of God. Written by a deeply spiritual man the Sabbath is a great resouce for anyone who wants to deepen and expand their relationship with God.

This is a thoughtfully written reflection on the meaning of the Sabbath that is appropriate for both Christians and Jews. The book is wonderful for spiritual reading and reflection. It adds depth and meaning to our worship and praise of God. Written by a deeply spiritual man the Sabbath is a great resouce for anyone who wants to deepen and expand their relationship with God.

The Sabbath is an awesome book to read for both Jews and Christians alike. Heschel's discussion of time, space and posessions is inspiring, and transforming. As a Christian, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and found it to be a very enlightening description of Jewish heritage. It challenged me to think about what time I observe with God, and for what reasons; what are my priorities; and how effective am I in living out my faith.

The wisdom contained in this book is incredible. It is a must read for all people who think our society is too focused on materialistic achievement. Heschel's call for a day of rest is desperately needed. My favorite book.

Really helped me understand the Old Testament view of
the Sabbath and as a Christian helped me know my spiritual
roots concerning this Day.

Really helped me understand the Old Testament view of
the Sabbath and as a Christian helped me know my spiritual
roots concerning this Day.

In The Sabbath, Heschel lays forward the view that holiness in Judaism is not set in place or places which is common for other peoples and religions, whether they be temples, shrines, holy places but in Judaism holiness resides in time. Chief among what Heschel calls "islands in time" is the seventh day of the week, the Sabbath. In so doing Heschel sets forward that time is of great importance and in that holiness resides in time and specific time like the weekly Shabbat, we need to take seriously these holy times.

We are now approaching another Shabbat and I am starting to get excited knowing that it is in this "island of time" that I experience G-d in such a powerful way. As I leave work on Friday afternoon I look at the sun barely above the horizon and I become overwhelmed and I breathe out the word "Shabbos". This is a weekly time of encountering our G-d in such a powerful way and it is a great gift that we have been given. Along with the experience of G-d and the holiness of time there is the great gift that we have been given to congregate with friends and family to celebrate together this time with G-d and one another.

G-d is so good and He is given us such a great gift and that is Shabbat.

May you know the joy that is Shabbat this week and each week as we get a forestaste of "yom shekulo shabbat" the unending Shabbat when Messiah will come.

May this be just the beginning of your readings in Heschel.

The holy grandson of the Ohev Yisrael( The Lover of Israel, the Apter Rebbe) Heschel was a Hasid in his soul. And in this work his fervent love for Shabbos is felt in every line. He conveys with a beautiful depth of thought the sacred meaning of the one day of the week devoted to sacred tasks alone. He reveals how the whole of our being can be uplifted on this holy day.

Heschel's little 100 page book maybe the most important one I've read in the last year. He does not offer simplistic, pragmatic rationale for taking a day off, but the theological underpinnings for why God designed us to function in a pattern of work and rest.

I won't ruin the many great surprises in the little book, but here are a few gems:

Our need for more time, which we are always losing, is compensated by our search for more space, in our ongoing pursuit of more property. Time and space essentially struggle with one another through our lives. Yet time is eternal while the spatial is temporal. So, in essence, we have to make time for the eternal in our week.

The parable about the body needing to celebrate with the soul on the Sabbath on page 19 is priceless.

The criticism of Philo's defense of the Sabbath, that it is more Roman than Jewish, is brilliant.

The conclusion that the Sabbath is a day we recreate Eden and relive God's intention for us is so beautiful that I will need to take a day off this week to think about it.

"The Sabbath" is articulate, deep, witty, and practical. I couldn't recommend it more.