The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man by Abraham J. Heschel
Author:Abraham J. Heschel [Heschel, Abraham J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: 0374529752
Published: 2013-05-24T05:27:33+00:00
Part Three
VII
Eternity Utters a Day
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Six days a week the spirit is alone, disregarded, for·
sa ken, forgotten. Working under strain, beset with worries, enmeshed in anxieties, man has no mind for ethereal beauty. But the spirit is waiting for man to join it.
Then comes the sixth day. Anxiety and tension give place to the excitement that precedes a great event. The Sabbath is still away but the thought of its imminent arrival stirs in the heart a passionate eagerness to be ready and worthy to receive it.
âIt is incumbent on every man to be very, very zeal·
ous in making the Sabbath day preparations, to be prompt and diligent as a man who has heard that the queen is coming to lodge at his house, or that the bride and her entire entourage are coming to his home. What would such a man do? He would rejoice greatly and exclaim : âWhat a great honor they do me by their coming to dwell under my roof !â He would say to his servants : âArrange the house, clean and tidy it, and prepare the beds in honor of the arrival, and I will go to purchase the bread, meat and fish-whatever I can obtain in their honor.â Such a man will busy himself in the preparation of the Sabbath food, even though he have a thousand servants.
âNow who is greater than the Sabbath which is both bride and queen and who is called delightful. A thou·
6 6
the Sabbath
sand times more so should the ma�ter of the house himself be busy in making the preparations, even though he may have a hundred servants.â 1
âThis was the practice of Rabbi Judah ben Ilai-on the eve of the Sabbath a basin filled with hot water was brought to him, and he washed his face, hands and feet, and he wrapped himself and sat in fringed linen robes, and was like an angel of the Lord of hosts.â 2
âWhen Rabbi Hamnuna the Ancient used t<> come out from the river on a Friday afternoon (after taking his bath ) , he was wont to rest a little on the bank, and, raising his eyes in gladness, he would say that he sat there in order to behold the joyous sight of the heavenly angels ascending and descending. At each arrival of the Sabbath, he said, man is caught up into the world of souls. Happy is he who is aware of the mysteries of his Lord.â 3
When all work is brought to a standstill, the candles are lit. Just as creation began with the word, âLet there be light !â so does the celebration of creation begin with the kindling of lights. It is the woman who ushers in the joy and sets up the most exquisite symbol, light, to dominate the atmosphere of the home.
And the world becomes a place of rest. An hour arrives like a guide, and raises our minds above accustomed thoughts. People assemble to welcome the wonder of the seventh day, while the Sabbath sends out its presence over the fields, into our homes, into our hearts.
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