The Sabbath (or Shabbat, as it is called in Hebrew) is
one of the best known and least understood of all Jewish observances. People
who do not observe Shabbat think of it as a day filled with stifling
restrictions, or as a day of prayer like the Christian Sabbath. But to those
who observe Shabbat, it is a precious gift from
G-d, a day of great joy
eagerly awaited throughout the week, a time when we can set aside all of our
weekday concerns and devote ourselves to higher pursuits. In Jewish
literature, poetry and music, Shabbat is described as a bride or queen, as
in the popular Shabbat hymn Lecha Dodi Likrat Kallah (come, my beloved, to
meet the [Sabbath] bride). It is said "more than Israel has kept Shabbat,
Shabbat has kept Israel."
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