‘La-shevet’- Sit down please! – Debbie Havusha’s Blog

‘La-shevet ‘–Please sit down

‘Shabbat’ comes from the Hebrew derivative ‘la-shevet’, a prescriptive to sit down. So, the question to ask is: What is the connection of ‘la-shevet and the ‘ Shabbat’?

This past weekend October 23rd-24th , people were sitting around the world’s many Shabbat tables singing ‘Shalom Aleichem’.  ‘Shalom Aleichem’ is the song we sing to the Shabbat angels who join in as the Shabbat is welcomed around the congregating table. We greet them, welcome them in, ask for their blessing, sit with them and then bid them farewell- Shalom.ChairHornby

‘The Shabbat Project’ is an initiative that started in South Africa to spread the concepts of Shabbat-Keeping It Together. It has been marked worldwide, in places like; Panama, Vienna, Sydney, Cordoba, Memphis, Paris, Vancouver, etc. (https://www.theshabbosproject.org/)

‘Shalom’, a Hebrew word with 3 messages of meaning- Hello, Goodbye and Peace, attaches itself to the Shabbat.  ‘Shabbat Shalom’ is a greeting that one says to another marking the weekly happening of Shabbat. When we merge these three words of ‘La-shevet’,’Shabbat’ and ’Shalom’ we can find where the Shabbat resides in us. Our unique Shabbat barometer is telling us to stop and sit for a while, finding time to reflect, sing, eat, rest, pray and praise the creation abound.

Whether we observe Shabbat by the book or by the many other ways to honour it, it is the act of pausing, measuring and treasuring the joy of creation. The gratitude we gain from an enhancing experience of either lighting the candles, being in nature, feasting on good food, practicing meditation, being in the company of friends and family and chanting or singing songs of praise and prayer, all remind us of the divine in us and around us.

Havdallah is the ceremony which marks the end of Shabbat. The Havdallah candle is a braided candle that intertwines yet separates the holy from the ordinary. The intention of the candle is to extend the light of Shabbat into the week ahead.   This primed candle says hello to the week ahead, goodbye to the Shabbat while offering peace and enlightenment to the week’s triumphs and challenges. Six days then proceed before there is a calling…..‘La-shevet be-va-kasha’. Sit down please!

So, until the next blog, bidding you all ‘Shalom’.

Debbie

Click here to the gallery to see the photos from Vancouver’s Havdallah Concert

 

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