A day of rest

Kreiss’s kvetching korner

By Joel Kreiss

Has this ever happened to you? One day you hear, see or read something that you have heard, seen or read a thousand times before, but it never made a lasting impression before. But, this time, that thing causes an explosion in your brain, as it suddenly “hits.” Images and concepts bombard your brain! Well, me too, and the latest cerebral explosion was caused by something I recently read in a book recommended by my rabbi, Ben Shull, entitled “The Gift of the Jews” by Thomas Cahill.

For years, I have studied Torah, looking for an answer to the questions, “what is Jewish and why be Jewish?” I learned of all the wonderful gifts our little band of dusty nomads gave to humanity.

No longer Israelites but, now, Jews. In preparation to establish a new nation, we made moral and ethical behavior the bedrock of that nation’s foundation. A first for humanity!

As part of worship, shabbat was noted as our most important and, perhaps, our holiest day; then, we moved on. At least I did, until I read the part in Cahill’s book that told of the giving of the Shabbat, a day of rest, which had never been thought of in the ancient world.

An explosion took place in my brain that began to answer some of those basic questions, like what is shabbat and what does it mean to be Jewish? Why is it that we, as a minute percentage of the human population, have contributed so much to its betterment? After all the smoke clears from heated debates answering that question, one stands out for me as the sole reason for our accomplishments, the creation of a day of rest.

My understanding of living conditions from prehistoric to relatively recent times is that one worked seven days a week, 10 to 12 hours a day. People were owned, ruled or otherwise involved in labor for some powerful leader and, certainly, were not free to live any other existence.

That regimen does not leave much time for creative thinking — or thinking at all. One works, eats (if lucky), sleeps, works again and then dies. Not too exciting and not much time for anything other than surviving another day. Enter “a day of rest” and suddenly one is given some time to “think and wonder and create.” All the other attributes we established, like morality and ethical behavior, take second place when compared to the freeing of the brain to luxuriate in the “what ifs.”

The Talmud is a print example of encouraging our brain to create answers to questions of why we do the things we do. One has to create and justify reasons for an action. We Jews encourage that and, because we do, have moved forward as a people. Our innate creative powers were unleashed. The creation of a day of rest enabled our little band of Israelite nomads to leap light years ahead of other people, and we have maintained that lead to this day.

It’s too bad that, in our environment today, thinking and questioning have become a “threat” to certain groups. Just a thought …