I was reminded of a story yesterday, a story that involved a young, Jewish boy who lived in a secular home.
The boy had lived a completely secular life, until someone had exposed him to Shabbos.
So he decided to start keeping Shabbos.
At first his parents, who were very against religion, thought it was cute. Until the kid started to become a nuisance, telling them to not turn the light on in his room when they were looking for something, and not to have the TV on.
After a while they decided that their son couldn't keep Shabbos anymore, so they told him that he had to go upstairs and write a report that he had due the following Monday.
He said, "It's Shabbos."
"I don't care go upstairs now!"
This went back and forth with his mother telling him he had to go write his report and him telling her it was Shabbos.
"Fine!" he shouted ending the argument. He walked over to the door, stuck his hand in, and slammed the door on his hand, breaking all of his fingers.
He walked back over to her, "I can't write the report I broke my hand."
This story really got me thinking if there was anything that I stood for so much that I would willingly break my hand in order to protect it.
It also got me thinking about Shabbos. I know a lot of people who treat Shabbos as a day off, which it is, but it's also a working day. Not work as in labor, or another physical aspect, it's a work day as in a day to work on our spiritual aspects, pray, learn, get back in touch with family who you haven't had the chance to talk to all week (like your kids, siblings, or wife).
As one of my Rebbaim said, regarding the "oneg Shabbos" to sleep all day, "getting 15 hours of sleep is not oneg Shabbos." You can go to sleep obviously, but he was referring to the afternoon naps in which some of us , after finishing our meals go to sleep for 6 hours. When you sleep on Shabbos, it shouldn't be because, "I'm tired, therefore I'm going to sleep." That's how you sleep during the week.
On Shabbos it should be, "I am completely free from any kind of worldly responsibility, therefore as a sign of how free I feel, and to thank G-d for freeing me from all of these responsibilities, I'm going to go to sleep."
Shabbos is an important day don't waste it.
The boy had lived a completely secular life, until someone had exposed him to Shabbos.
So he decided to start keeping Shabbos.
At first his parents, who were very against religion, thought it was cute. Until the kid started to become a nuisance, telling them to not turn the light on in his room when they were looking for something, and not to have the TV on.
After a while they decided that their son couldn't keep Shabbos anymore, so they told him that he had to go upstairs and write a report that he had due the following Monday.
He said, "It's Shabbos."
"I don't care go upstairs now!"
This went back and forth with his mother telling him he had to go write his report and him telling her it was Shabbos.
"Fine!" he shouted ending the argument. He walked over to the door, stuck his hand in, and slammed the door on his hand, breaking all of his fingers.
He walked back over to her, "I can't write the report I broke my hand."
This story really got me thinking if there was anything that I stood for so much that I would willingly break my hand in order to protect it.
It also got me thinking about Shabbos. I know a lot of people who treat Shabbos as a day off, which it is, but it's also a working day. Not work as in labor, or another physical aspect, it's a work day as in a day to work on our spiritual aspects, pray, learn, get back in touch with family who you haven't had the chance to talk to all week (like your kids, siblings, or wife).
As one of my Rebbaim said, regarding the "oneg Shabbos" to sleep all day, "getting 15 hours of sleep is not oneg Shabbos." You can go to sleep obviously, but he was referring to the afternoon naps in which some of us , after finishing our meals go to sleep for 6 hours. When you sleep on Shabbos, it shouldn't be because, "I'm tired, therefore I'm going to sleep." That's how you sleep during the week.
On Shabbos it should be, "I am completely free from any kind of worldly responsibility, therefore as a sign of how free I feel, and to thank G-d for freeing me from all of these responsibilities, I'm going to go to sleep."
Shabbos is an important day don't waste it.
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