“The children of Israel shall observe the Shabbat, to make the Shabbat an eternal covenant for their generations” (Exodus 31:16). Noting the declaration that Shabbat observance will transform the Shabbat into “an eternal covenant for their generations,” the Chidushei HaRim, the first rebbe of the Ger Chassidic dynasty, makes two brief but profound observations.
Firstly, he points out that the Hebrew word for “generations” (dorot) shares the same root with the Hebrew word for “dwell” (ladur). Shabbat, he comments, should be thought of as a dwelling place that we are entirely inside of, surrounded by and eternally present within its spiritually protective walls. Secondly he suggests that Shabbat is not only an eternal covenant between God and Israel but provides the opportunity to experience eternity.
For many modern Jews, who were raised with no knowledge of Torah observance, just experiencing the beauty of one Shabbat is enough to inspire them to investigate their Jewish heritage. In other words, sometimes experiencing just one Shabbat can become a seminal experience leading to the formation of an eternal covenant between a Jew and Shabbat and a Jew and God; furthermore, this one Shabbat can lead to future observance not only for the individual but for all his or her descendants, or as the Torah writes, “for their [his or her] generations”.
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach gained fame for traveling all over the world in order to create and lead inspiring Shabbat experiences (Shabbatons) where through joyous and meaningful prayer services, learning, singing, and story telling, thousands of Jews were exposed to the spiritual depths of Shabbat, many for the first time. Having learned from his example, many organizations dedicated to introducing Jews to the beauty of their heritage have realized that Shabbat may be the greatest educational tool of them all. Using the Shabbat experience to trigger a thirst for Judaism, multitudes of Jews have been acquainted with their roots and the eternal aspect of Shabbat has been transmitted to countless people who will then pass it on to their children and their children’s children.
