|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
Reform Judaism - Some Questions and Answers
|
 |
5. Do Reform Jews keep Shabbat?
|
 Yes, we are as convinced as any other section of religious Jewry that “more than the Jews kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath kept the Jews”. The concept of 25 hours out of time, a day that is different from the rest of the week, a day to be rather than do or acquire, a day to concentrate on values other than those of the secular, materialistic culture around us is a wonderful idea, in fact one of Judaism’s greatest gifts to the world at large.
Reform Judaism envisages a Shabbat in which there is a place for prayer, for study, for family and friends and for rest and relief from the concerns of the week. For many Reform Jews, as for countless generations of Jews before them, Friday night in the home is still a jewel of untold value even though we realise that the family in the home seldom behaves according to those sentimental pictures of saintly adults and radiant children so beloved of book illustrators.
We are concerned, however, that the rules and regulations of Shabbat as they developed, for instance in the pre-modern world of Eastern Europe, can sometimes stifle the very oneg, the delight that Shabbat is about. They may get in the way of participation in the life of the community at the synagogue, in the enjoyment of family and the support of friends. We therefore encourage individuals to concentrate on the values of Shabbat and on ensuring that they are the overriding factor guiding an individual in how precisely to practice the Sabbath and, indeed, the festivals.
Acknowledgement: ‘What is Reform Judaism' by Rabbi Tony Bayfield.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
