The Day of Sacred Rest
Shabbat is a weekly sanctuary in time devoted to rest, reflection, and the affirmation of human dignity. It is a day when we cease to force our will upon the physical world, refraining from creative activities that attempt to change the world around us. Instead, we allow ourselves to revel in what we already have, enjoying wine and good food in the company of family and friends.
In Parashat Ki Tisa and Shabbat by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Which is holier: the Temple, Shabbat, or a human life? The Torah’s answer is startling. By forcing us to suspend even the holiest acts for the sake of life, it reveals a radical truth: the ultimate sanctuary is the human being.
The art of creative abstinence
In Parashat Emor and Shabbat by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
When the light of the setting sun announces the entrance of Shabbat, a miracle happens: the light assumes the quality of light in a Rembrandt painting. The light slows down. It strolls! There is no way to see the strolling of the light unless one actually opens the door to let it in. One cannot talk about mystery. One must be grasped by it. And that is only possible when insight and creative inaction become one.
How to Observe Shabbat, take the Tram and go to a Restaurant!
In Halacha and Shabbat by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
It is clear a greater number of secular Israelis would like to become more observant. However, for various practical reasons, or due to social pressures, they are unable to make this switch. One of the great challenges, if not the greatest, is Shabbat, the only official day of rest in Israeli society, when people enjoy visiting people, or meeting friends at a restaurant. But none of this is possible without the use of cars or taxis and with no open restaurants. Here are some suggestions to overcome these obstacles
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy, Parashat Pinchas and Shabbat by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
To set one’s schedule around fixed times—for prayers, for meals, for learning, etc.—does not only inject order into one’s life, but also meaning; and as such one gains an opportunity to sanctify those moments. The chaos of a week without order, of days without set times, is yet another manifestation of the secularization of society and the profanation of the sacred.
In Halacha, Parashat Acharei Mot and Shabbat by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
However much money Israel may make from hosting Eurovision, it is absolutely wrong and shameful that Israel’s leadership will allow violation of Shabbat on this occasion. It is self-evident that this has nothing to do with pikuach nefesh. Israel should cancel the Eurovision Song Contest if its organizers are not prepared to find a solution so that Israel can keep its head high and show the world what it means to stand for one’s principles.
The Prohibition of Carrying on Shabbat
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy, Parashat Vayakhel and Shabbat by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
One day a week we are asked to return the world and all its potential to God and, instead of being creators, acknowledge that we are also creatures in God’s eyes.
Several recent events—the Olympic Games and the proposal to work on the railway line construction on Shabbat—are excellent opportunities to start a conversation on the role of halacha in the Jewish State. The question is: what form should the conversation take? It should not, I believe, primarily take the form of a formal halachic argument.
The Holy Day and the Tel Aviv Railway
Shabbat is serious business, not only because of its halachic requirements but also because of its magnificent and majestic message. But there is one sanctity that is even greater than Shabbat. That is the holiness of the human being.