"Summer time, and the living is easy." At least that's what the song says. But if the living is supposed to be so easy, how come I'm spending my summer running from airport to train to boat to car and I still feel tired, over-scheduled, and stressed out. If life is supposed to slow down in the summer time, how come I haven't gone food shopping in weeks and can't seem to get it together to fold my laundry? It's July and I have yet to stick my feet in wet sand!

From a Jewish viewpoint, holiness, God's creative presence in the universe, is intrinsically tied to the concept of rest, of ceasing from labors and looking around to see that the world is "good." But you've got to stop running in order to see it.

The scary thing is that life actually has slowed down from the rest of the year - Avi isn't in school, Hebrew school is out and much of the committee work of the synagogue has gone on hiatus. But it seems that the general pace of life is so hectic these days that I haven't even really had time to notice. How many of you feel the same way - how many of you have no idea that the "the fish are jumping and the cotton is high?"

Jewish tradition has a really good response to the increasingly hectic nature of life, the 24/7 revolution, and it can be summed up in one word: Sabbath. The Jewish Sabbath - Shabbat - is much more then the day of restrictions, obligations, prohibitions and boring synagogue services many of us recall from an earlier generation. Shabbat, you may remember, was instituted first by God who rested after creating the world, declaring that it was "good." From a Jewish viewpoint, holiness, God's creative presence in the universe, is intrinsically tied to the concept of rest, of ceasing from labors and looking around to see that the world is "good."
But you've got to stop running in order to see it.

That's lesson I'm trying to bring into my life through this summer of slightly fewer deadlines and obligations. I've got to stop every once in a while in order to see the larger picture, to see the world in which I live and the loved ones who share it with me.

For some of us, myself included, this practice of Shabbat means taking on some of the rituals of traditional observance - not watching television or engaging in financial dealings, coming to synagogue and sharing special meals with family and friends. But, from a Reconstructionist point of view, what is important about Shabbat is the act of ceasing from labor (the Hebrew word for 'to cease' is 'lishbot', from the same root as Shabbat) and doing something to help gain awareness.

That could mean going for a walk or an extra long bike ride on a waterside trail; gardening or a day at the beach; inviting friends over for a backyard barbeque or sitting under a tree and reading a good book. Other ways to take a little Shabbat and lishbot (to cease) could be to make a special date for the entire family to go on a picnic or play a game of baseball in the yard; set aside some time for creativity - maybe an art project. It doesn't have to be the entire day, or even every Shabbat, to start, but now is the time, with the weather so pleasant and the outdoors so inviting, to find some way to add a break to our lives, to slow down and learn to appreciate what we have. Summer's slighlty slower pace is the perfect opportunity to begin adding a little Shabbat into your life.

So - I'll see you on the bike trail and at the beach and I'll wish you a very Shabbat Shalom - Sabbath of Peace! Enjoy the "rest" of summer!

Rabbi Elyse

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