Periodically I have an extreme case of the lazies. Today, I am ashamed to admit something: though I read a miniscule part of The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History (pages 321-332), I have decided I am reading no more today… I have an extreme case of the lazies, I guess… More, I shall not read this weekend, or if I do it will be one of Shakespeare’s plays (Timon of Athens) or more of The Symphony of Creation. My mind is just worn out… it will be Monday when I try to read a sizable chunk of The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History… My excuse is that sometimes the mind needs rest.
My excuse lies in the Torah itself. God is supposed to have rested on the 7th Day of the week and we are bidden to keep Shabbat on Saturday as Jews. In the ancient world this custom was mocked, because supposedly it proved Jews were lazy. This is in marked contrast to the modern knowledge that Jews are usually hard workers, and their momentary break in time when they do no work in the week has a rejuvenating effect on them. I listened to a bar mitzvah’s elderly grandfather read his grandson’s sermon with pride, saying, “Someday people will acknowledge that how we do our work during the week relies on how we fulfill our rests.”
In the Western world, it is now prevalent that we get two days off from work–but often for non-Jews this time is spent doing errands and getting chores done that there was no time for during the week. I admit: though I keep Shabbat, I skip Sunday School so I can do other things I could not get done during the week. Two days of prayer is too much for me. However–in my defense–we are only commanded one day of “rest” on Shabbat. The point is that in the sermon the old man read, it is necessary for the faithful that one day a week belong to God.
This weekend I will admit that Shabbat belongs to God and I will not attempt to fill time on Sunday with anything in particular… I need extra time to relax… Probably on Sunday I shall listen to some music… or, if I get bored, read Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens or The Symphony of Creation. For now, I am writing this Blog…