[During January, State of Formation entered into a collaboration with The Interfaith Observer to address the subject of meaning making. Eight contributors from various faith and ethical traditions were asked to describe what makes meaning within their practices and/or tradition.]

Judaism places a very high value on the act of sanctifying time. We sanctify time through the observance of the Shabbat (Sabbath) which lasts from Friday evening eighteen minutes before sundown until Saturday evening when three stars are visible in the night sky as well as through the observance of the many holidays throughout the Jewish year, each of which commemorates a particular period or event in the long history of the Jewish People. Sanctification of time is achieved through ceasing to do acts of creative labor, known in Hebrew as malachot. However, sanctification of time is not simply about what you don’t do, it is equally about what you do on these sanctified days.

I find the observance of Shabbat every week to be incredibly meaningful. In an age in which it often seems like we are glued to our electronic devices, I find it immensely refreshing, liberating even, to have an entire day free of these, a day on which I can recharge my spiritual batteries, spend quality time with friends and family and enjoy the beauty of being in a community, focused on the here and now, not worrying about the work week to come or the week just past.

Shabbat is a day for study and prayer. I find Kabbalat Shabbat—the series of songs we sing on Friday night to welcome the Sabbath to be the most uplifting part of the week in many ways and I love learning new melodies for the psalms or Lecha Dodi.

Traditionally, three substantial meals are enjoyed on Shabbat. These meals can sometimes last for hours and are often filled with conversation and singing of Shabbat Zemirot—Sabbath table songs, many of which were written during the Medieval period. As someone who connects to God most powerfully and deeply through music, I particularly enjoy singing Zemirot on Shabbat. Singing in a community of others makes you feel like you are truly a part of something much larger than yourself. I also feel a strong connection to generations past who also sang many of these same songs.

As much as community is an integral part of Shabbat, Shabbat also lends itself to allowing someone to enjoy some solitude if they so choose. I love taking time out for myself on Shabbat to reflect, read a book, study that week’s Torah portion or indulge in one of Shabbat’s particular delights—the Shabbat nap!

At a time when community is becoming increasingly elusive, particularly for my generation of twenty-somethings, the observance of Shabbat serves as a counterbalance. I feel that instituting some sort of Sabbath practice every week in whichever way is most comfortable and authentic for you can have a tremendous impact upon anyone of any faith or no faith at all. We live in such a frenetic time, a time in which we have tons of gadgets which were supposed to simplify our lives but have instead done the very opposite. In this age of information overload, it’s good to take time out to step back, reflect and just be.