Teaching #5: Shabbat & Environmental Awareness

In modern society, we are running, speaking, and thinking at an exceptional rate. Oftentimes we continue all week long without slowing down. We can get so caught up in the doing that we could spend our whole lives on the go. If being too busy is a malady of modern man, slowing down on Shabbat may be a key remedy.

The Torah teaches, “These are the things that the Divine commanded to make. Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have sanctity, a day of complete rest to G-d…” Achieving sanctity and complete rest is the stated goal of Shabbat. Every week, Shabbat gives us an opportunity to check in with ourselves about how we are being. And Shabbat can remind us that we are first and foremost human beings, not just human doers.Yet how can this happen? One key source may provide instruction to help us find spirituality and uplift our relationship to the created world.

Learning Resources

• Short Summary Article by Rabbi Yonatan Neril
• Longer Article for Deeper Study by Rabbi Yonatan Neril
• Study Guide with Hebrew-English Sources and Discussion Questions (PDF)