Jewish Life Digital Edition November 2013 | Page 32

MYTHBUSTER BOBBA MAASEH OR GENUINE JUDAISM JUST ONE SHABBOS AND WE’LL ALL BE FREE CAN ONE SHABBOS CHANGE THE WORLD? BY RABBI ARI SHISHLER a day not to say certain things. When we keep the Shabbos laws and avoid bad language and gossip, we’re on track for Moshiach. Another view is that there are two elements to the timeframe of Shabbos. G-d defines Shabbos as Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall. If we choose to add extra Shabbos time – starting a few minutes early and not rushing out the minute we hit the official end-time – it counts as keeping two Shabboses in one. A more mystical HAD WE GOTTEN IT RIGHT BACK approach says that Shabbos can both elevate to spirituality our mundane THEN IN THE DESERT, ONE activities from the preceding week, and SHABBOS WOULD HAVE SUFFICED, inspire the events of the coming week. A BUT NOW WE NEED ONE SHABBOS successful Shabbos is one where we both uplift the week that was and inspire the TO RIGHT THE WRONG OF THAT week that’s coming. If we’d all do one two-dimensional Shabbos, Moshiach Why Shabbos? ORIGINAL SHABBOS, PLUS would be here. Keeping Shabbos makes a statement that G-d ANOTHER ONE TO EARN US ACCESS Obviously, the Talmud doesn’t mean is in charge of the world. On Shabbos we step that Moshiach cannot come unless we all back from those weekday activities that give TO THE MESSIANIC AGE. keep Shabbos. There are other factors us the illusion of control (like the phone, car that could expedite his arrival. But, Shabbos is a sure-fire and TV) and defer to G-d’s authority (like going to shul, dining with technique to speed up the process. Maimonides suggests that we the family and learning more about Judaism). If every Jew alive perceive the world as hanging in perfect balance between positive would collectively bolster G-d’s dominion for twenty-four hours, it and negative, and that our next deed would shift the world’s consciousness to recognise that G-d is in could be the one that tips the scales in charge. Moshiach will usher in an era of consciousness of G-d, and favour of Moshiach. Whichever way you Shabbos is a mini-experience of that future state. Everyone keeping JL DIGITAL look at it, it’s worth trying a full Shabbos. Shabbos together brings us closer to the “never-ending Shabbos”. EDITION Who knows? Yours might be the one G-d The only hitch is that the Talmud actually says we need two is waiting for. JL Shabboses to qualify for Moshiach. Had we gotten it right back then in the desert, one Shabbos would have sufficed, but now we CATCH RABBI SHISHLER’S Rabbi Ari Shishler is the rabbi of Chabad of need one Shabbos to right the wrong of that original Shabbos, TORAHBYTE ON Strathavon and learning director at Chabad plus another one to earn us access to the Messianic Age. Two THE DIGITAL House. He is a popular local and international global Shabboses starts to sound like ‘Mission Impossible’. EDITION! speaker. Catch him Thursday afternoon on Fortunately, the Jerusalem Talmud and Midrash both indicate ChaiFM, visit Chabad.org, Facebook (Ask the that the 80s Chassidic song is on the money, because just one Rabbi group), www.rabbishishler.blogspot.com, and Twitter (@Rabbishish). Shabbos will do. The question is, which is it? Do we need two concurrent Shabbos shut-downs or will one do? HAVE YOU GOT A QUESTION FOR RABBI SHISHLER? EMAIL YOUR ‘BOBBA It turns out that the catch is to keep two Shabboses in one. MAASEH‘ TO [email protected] AND IT COULD BE Two-for-the-price-of-one Shabbos could mean an array of things. ANSWERED IN THE NEXT ISSUE! One view is that Shabbos is a day not to do certain things, but also 30 JEWISH LIFE ISSUE 68 PHOTOGRAPH: ILAN