Shabbat Shalom!
Friday, October 27, 2006
Nothing feels as good as Shabbat. Okay, well, not many things feel as good as Shabbat. Shabbat is definitely in the Top Ten.
Having spent the first ten years of my life in Christian churches and the second 9 in Messianic shuls, I was never afforded an opportunity to really understand the true meaning of Shabbat until I stopped going to congregations altogether, not by choice, but by chance. Travelling to college and speeding through a Bachelor's and a Master's program in five years just didn't afford me many opportunities to make it to Sabbath services. I was literally consumed with work. However, that didn't mean that I didn't have time to make HaShem a part of my life.
Before going off to college, a fellow congregant of one of my old kehilot took myself and a peer out to lunch as a sort of "going away" celebration. One of the things she emphasized to us was, "It's great to be able to worship G-d corporately, but you've got to be able to do it for yourself. You've got to be able to get into that place with G-d on your own." It wasn't until I was literally on my own that I realized how right she was. Gathering together to praise HaShem, study His Word, pray, and rest in His Ruach as a body of believers is both Biblical and wonderful. (In fact, it's wonderful because it's Biblical.) The corporate is at the heart of the Jewish faith; however, so is the individual. Our scriptures are filled with stories of HaShem using individuals (D'vorah, Yhoshua, Moshe, David-- YESHUA) to save and bless the nation of Israel. How can we be expected to contribute to the corporate if we are constantly feeding off of the corporate? What can we bring to the group if we cannot receive, learn, and grow as individuals?
I travelled for my Master's degree. Eighteen-hundred miles away, knowing no one, I developed a habit of kindling the Shabbat candles that rested in the travelling Sabbath candlestick holder my mother had given me before I left. I would cover my head with my makeshift tallit (a scarf that read "Shalom" in Hebrew) , draw the flame to my face, and recite the blessings, thanking Adonai for Shabbat and Yeshua for salvation. I would make a point to read scripture, to praise HaShem in song, and always to pray. In those two years of individual worship, I was able to draw near to HaShem and grow in Him in powerful ways. The relationship we had developed not only gave me the strength I needed to get through trying times as an individual, it also allowed me to develop the knowledge I needed in order to write this blog now.
As one Israeli Rabbi put it, "We live as individuals in order to serve and build our nation." Never fear the quiet times. Never fear walking alone with HaShem. Dovid haMelekh spent how many years in the wilderness, surrounded by vagabonds and criminals, only to take the throne of Eretz Yisrael! Use the alone time HaShem has given you to cultivate your relationship with Him and to grow closer to Him, not as one of the talmidim, but as a talmid. Trust that in being alone, you are far from lonely.
I encourage you all to take some time this Shabbat to rest in oneness with Adonai Echad. Take a few minutes just to be with Him, to thank Him for Shabbat and to invite Him to rest with you. Praise Him alone, so that you both may rejoice in the kehilat together. And remember: your one-on-one relationship with Him is a living testimony to His power that will be evident to all those around you, and it is something through which the entire community will be blessed.
"We have heard His voice coming from the fire, and we have seen today that G-d does speak with human beings, and they stay alive." -D'varim 5:24
Shabbat Shalom mishpocha!
Shabbat, Messianic Judaism, Judaism, Torah, Adonai, religion
posted by Shoshana @ 10:42 AM
