Open Shabbes at Sanctuary

Shabbes is the East European way of saying the Sabbath. In modern Hebrew it's Shabbat. Based upon biblical teachings the seventh day was set aside as a day of rest from labor and as a sign of the covenant between the people and the Creator. The Sabbath has played a special place in the life of the Jewish people and other faith traditions. The root letters "shevet," mean "being still," and "shuv," or "return" to the Source of Being. Shabbes is a taste of the Garden of Eden.

From the words of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel:

The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world.

Am Kolel invites you to Open Shabbes at Sanctuary. Open Shabbes begins on Saturday morning at 9:30 AM with a light breakfast. At 10 AM we continue with gentle Yoga and Hebrew letter meditation, followed by devotional singing and chanting and a taste of Torah wisdom. At 12:30 PM everyone is invited to a pot luck vegetarian/dairy Kiddush lunch (nothing that needs to be warmed or cooked, please). On Open Shabbes days all are welcome to hike, shmooze, learn and play the rest of the day! Please see the Am Kolel web site for Open Shabbes days at www.am-kolel.org.

For those who would like to come Friday afternoon and stay for Shabbat dinner and sleep over, we ask that you contact Gilah Rosner, our retreat manager, to make arrangements. (See also Accommodations in this web site.)