From My debut Album Sappir co-created with Rabbi Mitchell Goodman who plays lead guitar.
This is one of my all time favourite Carlbach songs that captures the special relationship the Jewish people has with Shabbat. Shabbat is an oasis in time.
A day that enables us to reorient ourselves to focus on who we truly are and not just what we do. “It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel, an eternal sign that God created the world ….” We have a purpose and a destiny. Shabbat points us towards living for something greater than ourselves. Shabbat is a sustained protest against the concept of scientific materialism and the meaningless of existence which is being promulgated by so many people today. Shabbat is the day we commit to nurturing our deeper self- our soul in the context of family and community. A day to cherish our deepest relationships by celebrating creation and our being created in the Divine image.
On Shabbat every kosher pleasure takes on greater sanctity and depth. The very food we eat and company we share becomes holy in the context of Shabbat. Who would not love Shabbat? But Shabbat needs guarding against being corrupted by our insatiable quest for conquest and progress. To be able to open ourselves up to Shabbat requires a disciple of shutting down the external aspect of identities that so consumes us. We need to go “offline in order to switch ourselves spiritual self online”. the Torah captures this notion that to experience Shabbat requires discipline and commitment with the opening phrase of our song Veshomru – “The children of Israel shall Guard”
To guard implies to protect something that is precious and inherent within our very souls.