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Sabbath Manifesto

The Ten Core Principles

In the Sabbath Manifesto, they encourage people to follow the rituals of our ancestors from sunset to sunset, one day a week.[1] Any background, nationality, and religion are encouraged to participate and do not need to be of Jewish descent.[2] The celebration of Sabbath day especially emphasizes on family, friends, and food.

6. Light Candles

Sabbath usually begins with the lighting of two symbolic candles at sunset. One called shamor, meaning to keep or protect, and the other one is called zachor, to remember. Lighting candles also represent festivity which brings together family and friends during a meal. A great medieval Jewish thinker named Maimonides, once said that, “the candles are an integral part of the Sabbath's delight”.[3]

7. Drink Wine

Sabbath begins on Friday night and typically the Kiddush ceremony is held before the Sabbath meal. Kiddush is the tradition of sanctifying Sabbath and other Jewish holidays with the blessing of wine.[3] Maimonides said that drinking wine associates Sabbath day with a positive physical taste.[3]

8. Eat Bread

With the busy schedule of the modern day, people are accustomed to eating take-out and microwave processed foods. However with Sabbath day, people are encouraged to take the time to prepare home cooked meals. This day should be celebrated with family and friends. At Sabbath meals, the ritual of placing two loaves of bread on the table to symbolizes a full meal and a time of rejoicing.[3]

9. Find Silence

Not talking is a form of taking a break from the usual activities of humans. Meditating is an idyllic way to separate oneself from the world and all its distractions. Aryeh Kaplan, an American Orthodox Rabbi, wrote in his book that biblical prophets are able to “"engage in external isolation, secluding themselves from the general populace….There they could meditate on God and His works without interruption."[3] Finding silence enables people to reflect on themselves and all of life’s blessings.

10. Give Back

Before the lighting of candles, it's tradition to give coins to charity. It has been said that this enables others to spend future Sabbaths without the worry of money.[3] However, giving back may continue even after the lighting of candles. Hachnasat orhim is the concept of inviting people in your home so that others can experience the celebration of Sabbath.[4] The people may consist of family, friends, and even strangers.

The Sabbath Manifesto partnered with VolunteerMatch to launch the "Unplug & Giveback Campaign" where volunteer enthusiasts are able to look for nonprofit organizations and become connected. This will encourage people to use all of their free time from unplugging and volunteer in the community.

References

  1. ^ "sabbathmanifesto.org". Retrieved 2011-07-14.
  2. ^ "CNN - people are craving a respite from technology". Retrieved 2011-07-14.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "MyJewishLearning.com". Retrieved 2011-07-14. Cite error: The named reference "MyJewishLearning" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ "gatheringthepeople.org" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-07-14.
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