Shabbat: Experiencing the Sabbath as a “Day of Delight”

Even since biblical times, the Jewish people have never let go of the Sabbath. As we’ve learned in our five-part series on this ancient ritual, the Sabbath is a weekly reminder to rest and reflect on how life is about connecting with God, our families, friends, communities, and ultimately, about making the world a better place. In today’s final episode, host Yael Eckstein walks us through each step of the Sabbath day to show us how relevant this biblical practice is even in modern times. And when we harness the beautiful power of the Sabbath, it will transform our lives, our relationship with God and with one another. Listen today.

Episode Notes

In today’s episode, host Yael Eckstein concludes her new five-part series about one of the most significant, but often misunderstood Jewish observances—the Sabbath, or Shabbat.

In this final episode on the Sabbath, Yael examines the words of the prophet Isaiah in chapter 58:13-14:

“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

So what does it mean that Shabbat should be a day of “delight?” And what does that look like today? In today’s episode, Yael walks us through each step of Shabbat as she celebrates it in modern times. We will get a sense of how it feels to observe this ritual as if we were with Yael and her family. Yael examines the feelings, traditions, and commandments that transform another regular Saturday into a true “day of delight” for her own family and Jews around the world.

Yael will reflect on how today’s families need to come together to talk, laugh, and simply be present with one another. Today’s children need to be blessed by their parents. Today’s communities need to open their homes up to one another and participate in shared worship. And every individual today needs the opportunity to unplug, refresh, and focus on what truly matters in life—the people, the prayer, the relationship with God.