“Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,
but the seventh day… you shall not do any work.”
A Day Apart: Shabbat
In the Jewish tradition, Shabbat is a weekly day of rest. For 25 hours – from sunset on Friday to sundown on Saturday – we set aside our work, our screens and our everyday pressures, and we turn our focus to our friends, family and deeper callings. The week is all about doing; Shabbat is about being. Being present, being with others, being in the moment.
There are elements that are traditionally restricted: lighting flames after the lighting of the Shabbat candles, using electricity, engaging in work.
There are elements that are traditionally enjoyed: meals with friends, engaging with Jewish texts.
Across time and place, there have been many variations in the way people celebrate Shabbat. The common thread is in the Friday night rituals and the marking of a day that is different from the others.
If you’re new to Shabbat, our Guidebook is offered as a road map to the rituals and blessings of Shabbat eve. Over time, you can add your own family traditions. The idea is to just get started!
Our Shabbat box is a curated mix of beautiful ritual objects and accessible guiding materials intended to start your collection, or to serve as a beautiful addition to your family heirlooms and traditions.
