There is no rush to get out and ‘go somewhere’. Everyone just enjoys each others’ company, the conversation, and the festive meal itself. And that’s just the beginning. There is so much more to Shabbos, as most people that observe it already know. But that is not the point of this post.
I think it is the sense of family and Jewish heritage that made this project so popular. The success of the event in South Africa demonstrates (at least to me) that there is a hunger for knowledge about one’s Jewish heritage. (Even and perhaps especially with secular Jews – at least in South Africa).
They must believe that heritage lies with the Jewish denomination most closely associated with observance, Orthodoxy. 90% participation by secular Jewry in a ‘Halachic Shabbos’ is illustrative of that fact. It was after all an Orthodox Rabbi who initiated the project and it seems that the vast majority of South African Jewry seemed to eagerly embrace it.
The project was so successful that it is being tried here and all over the world. The date is October 25th (beginning at sundown October 24th). This is quite an ambitious project. I’m not sure there will be 90% participation this time. But I don’t think we should underestimate the importance of this event and the power of Shabbos. I believe that this event will show more people than ever the beauty of Shabbos via their participation in it. The Shabbat Project has a website with some guidelines for anyone who wants to join.
I have to say that Rabbi Goldstein is an inspiring figure… a walking talking Kiddush HaShem. He exemplifies what being a Jewish leader is all about. One may recall his name from his participation in the eulogies given for Nelson Mandela at his funeral. He was the first one to speak. And he did so very eloquently.
There are those who may be cynical about this project – even among the most religious. I suppose that keeping one Shabbos alone does not make one observant. It is relatively easy to try it out just to see what it’s like. Anyone can try something different once – knowing that they will go back to business as usual next week. Big deal if they keep one Shabbos.
I suppose that’s true up to a point. But even though I too am a cynic at heart, I can’t help the feeling that there will be some – perhaps even many Jews that will enjoy the experience so much that they will be inspired to investigate observant Judaism further. With the recent Pew study showing a massive rate of intermarriage rate and a Jewish population in decline in every segment other than Orthodoxy, this can only be a plus. A big one.
The following video came as quite a surprise to me, too. Paula Abdul – who is not known for her commitment to Halacha to say the least – is going to participate in the Shabbos Project. In fact I only found out she was Jewish when I read about her recent journey to Israel. It appears that she too is exploring her roots. And you never know where that can lead. Both for her and for Klal Yisroel.