I used to live in a neighborhood that had a fairly large Jewish population, so on Saturdays there was usually a large number of them out walking around. One Saturday, I was out walking my dog listening to podcasts through my phone and I realized that if I was part of that community I could not do it as using electronics on that day would not be allowed. It got me thinking about what the purpose of the sabbath really is.
I had always understood the sabbath to be a day of rest, one day of the week where you are not supposed to work. That makes a lot of sense to me, everyone should get at least one day off a week, otherwise you burn yourself out and go a little crazy. Having it as a rule seems like a good idea. Also, having a specific day off rather than just having one day off a week is good as it will let people spend their day off together. It also seems like a good "for your own good" rule for the workaholics among us. So the general idea of it I like.
But then problems come in when it is taken to the extreme. As I said up top, I was simply listening to a show on my phone, and this would not have been allowed. This seems totally crazy to me, it is something I do to relax, it is something I enjoy doing, there is no way in which I would call it work. And yet, it would not be allowed on the day of rest. It seems to me that there has been a disconnect between the intention of the rule and the execution of it.
Another thought occurred to me, on the sabbath you are not supposed to drive your car or use your phone, what happens if there is some kind of emergency? Say your kid falls down the stairs or otherwise hurts himself? You can't use your phone to call an ambulance or your car to drive him to the hospital yourself. What are you supposed to do? I assume most people will just say 'fuck it' and do one of those things anyway, but according to Jewish law what are they supposed to do?
I'm glad we don't really take this too seriously anymore. Remember the guy who was picking up sticks on the Sabbath, presumably for his family? Numbers 15:32-36. That really didn't end too well for that poor bastard. Now, people all over America and most of the world will work on Sunday.
ReplyDeleteI like your modern interpretation. I think it's important to relax from work, like you say, and take some time off. I think sometimes we can get wrapped up in work because we are trying to provide financially for our families while forgetting that being there for them is the most important part. In the context of the time it was written, it doesn't seem like this was the case. Often, I'm told by Christians that when something seems bad in the bible, like slavery or this, you "have to take things in context for their time." So, in this case, I would imagine that it's not meant as a metaphor. Other times, the bible is considered a great book that's "still applicable today."
As far as I am aware people don't get stoned for it anymore, but there are definitely some people who take it very seriously. Years ago I was watching a tv program (probably on discovery channel) talking about the sabbath. They are not allowed to do anything that starts an electric current. They determined this by interpreting some passage about not starting a fire. There are 2 things I remember this led to. One is that in these communities they have the public transportation automatically stop at every stop because the jews are not allowed to pull the string to ring the bell but the public transit companies still wanted their business on those days. The other thing I remember, is this guy invented a phone where instead of pushing buttons to start an electric signal and make a beep, there was always current going through and when you push the buttons it interrupts (or maybe redirects?) the current to make the beep.
DeleteI probably should have been more specific. I meant society as a whole. >_< There was a clip in Religulous about those guys. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcEXGu77DkM
DeleteAhh yea, as a whole we don't take it too seriously, which I agree is definitely a good thing.
DeleteIn my former neighborhood in Brooklyn, they would ask us Goyim to open up jars and such. Viva Diversity!
ReplyDeleteSo for the purposes of the sabbath, opening jars counts as work? Crazy!
DeleteHere's the craziest one: They would leave a (gas) stove burning over the sabboth so they wouldn't have to start a fire, and then use it to light cigarettes. When I asked my smoking friend why lighting a ciggie didn't count as lighting a new fire she said "It's a very practical religion"
DeleteThat's pretty insane. How warped does your mind have to be to see that as practical. It seems wasteful and dangerous.
DeleteSomeone else pointed this out somewhere else and I thought I would share. If no one is supposed to work on Sunday or do any labor, what happens if there is a medical emergency? Doctors and nurses have to work. Would that just mean that it's God's time for you to die?
ReplyDeleteSome would say that you pray and if it is your time it's your time. Otherwise God will take care of you.
DeleteWhat really makes me sad is that some people would probably take their kids to the hospital and then feel bad about it. They might even blame themselves for not having faith if their kid winds up dying. "If I had just stayed home and had faith God would have healed him"