Shabbat and the Noahide: Rabbi Chaim Clorfene

Shabbat and the Noahide with Rabbi Chaim Clorfene is part two of his lecture series on the Noahide / Geris.  Rabbi Clorfene co-author of the highly respected guide for Noahides, The Path of the Righteous Gentile.  First published in 1987, it was the book that introduced the Seven Laws of Noah to the English-speaking world and began a movement that has grown exponentially over the past generation. Now, Rabbi  Clorfene is in pre-publication production of the much-awaited, The World of the Ger, a book which he calls an introduction to the second phase of the Noahide movement.

The Sabbath (or Shabbat, as it is called in Hebrew) is one of the best known and least understood of all Jewish observances. People who do not observe Shabbat think of it as a day filled with stifling restrictions, or as a day of prayer like the Christian Sabbath. But to those who observe Shabbat, it is a precious gift from G-d, a day of great joy eagerly awaited throughout the week, a time when we can set aside all of our weekday concerns and devote ourselves to higher pursuits. In Jewish literature, poetry and music, Shabbat is described as a bride or queen, as in the popular Shabbat hymn Lecha Dodi Likrat Kallah (come, my beloved, to meet the [Sabbath] bride). It is said “more than Israel has kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept Israel.”

Shabbat is the most important ritual observance in Judaism. It is the only ritual observance instituted in the Ten Commandments. It is also the most important special day, even more important than Yom Kippur. This is clear from the fact that more aliyot (opportunities for congregants to be called up to the Torah) are given on Shabbat than on any other day.

Shabbat is primarily a day of rest and spiritual enrichment. The word “Shabbat” comes from the root Shin-Beit-Tav, meaning to cease, to end, or to rest. Ref: (Judaism 101)