Torah and Shabbat

candles A beautiful time to experience weekly Torah reflection is Shabbat.

 Shabbat is the Hebrew word for ‘Sabbath’ and it refers to the Jewish holy day that occurs every seventh day of the week, i.e., Saturday. (Note: Shabbat begins at sundown on Friday.)

 This day, reserved as a day of rest, relationship, worship and renewal, is an important day for Torah reflection in the Jewish community. In fact, the Jewish lectionary assigns a Torah reading to each Saturday of the year.

 Shabbat typically includes a festive meal in the home with family and friends, and a special awareness of the Lord’s presence...the perfect setting for feasting on the Word, and enjoying the company of the People of the Word!

 When is the best time to reflect on Torah? Any time, of course. However the Light of Torah movement encourages Torah reflection at a festive meal on Friday night or Saturday.

 We do this in the knowledge that:

  • Our biblical tradition has always been bound up with that of the Jewish people;
  • Jesus celebrated Shabbat according to the customs of his day;
  • Shabbat is God’s gift to all humanity, enshrined in the act of creation (see Gen. 2:1-3), and observed in a unique manner by the Jews;
  • Shabbat is a day distinct from, and complementary to, Sunday which for Christians is ‘the Day of the Lord.’
  • Our early Christians ancestors celebrated Shabbat, even as they developed the celebration of the Sunday Eucharist;
  • Scripture and meal form a potent combination, as we know from our own Catholic understanding of the relationship between Word and Eucharist. This appreciation is here reflected in the everyday rhythms of the home.

Further reading: