An Israeli Shabbes

Israel is a hectic place. Political and economic problems are ever-present in print and visual media, as well as discussions between people here. Too often, the obsession with everyday problems spills into Shabbat, and the atmosphere of the day is punctured with heated debates about Sharon, the economy, the elections and what not.

For many years, I too would read the Friday newspapers for much of Shabbat. Then, slowly but surely, I came to the realization that it just wasn't worth it. The newspapers rarely had anything interesting, and the news was usually depressing and made me feel miserable. So, for the past few months, I have forced myself into a change of habit - I read the papers early on Friday, and either completely avoid or minimize my newspaper reading on Shabbat.

I can not begin to describe how much more pleasurable Shabbat has become for me since I made that change. For me, Shabbat is now more than just a day where I don't watch TV and talk on the phone. Suddenly, the Day of Rest really is a day unconnected to the world and its insanities, including the Israeli ones.

So I wish you all a Shabbat Shalom, and hope that we will all be able to truly appreciate Shabbat for what it is. The problems of the world and the Jewish people can surely stand to take a break for one day in the week.