For those who known me I am not traditional shomer Shabbos. We don’t keep a Kosher home and I have been know to use my computer on Shabbat. But we do go to shul at least once a week. I don’t drive on Shabbat unless it is an emergency. There have been a couple exceptions to that driving rule. During the winter, I have no way of getting home from work before Shabbat starts. I do the best I can, but my commute is too long and I simply can’t leave before 4:30. I have also driven to pick up medication for my children which I think is allowable. I refused to miss my niece’s birthday party so we “pushed” the Shabbat start time. Then there was the Ithaca trip. I was supposed to fly home Friday afternoon. My flight was canceled. So I was forced to choose between flying on Shabbat or not seeing my family all weekend, guess what I chose. For me Shabbat is about family and community. The last two exceptions were very much about those two things.
Which brings me to Labor day. I have cousins in Canada whom I love very much. One of which is getting married in Kentucky on the Sunday of Labor day Weekend. We can’t take flights out on Sunday and reliably make the wedding. Also for various work, school, and financial related reasons we can’t leave on Friday. That means we are flying out on Saturday. Even though I am not a literal interpretation of the bible kind of guy, Shabbat has become very important to me. But I will break Shabbat on Labor Day and I will not feel guilty. I am going to witness a mitzvah and celebrate with people I love very much. People who when my Mother died, dropped everything to fly to another county and be with us, morn with us, and celebrate the Elijah’s Bris. How could I in good conscious make any other decision and still be true to myself.
© 2012, Corey Feldman. All rights reserved.
I don’t think God will mind.
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Of that I have no doubt
Corey Feldman recently posted…Shabbat and Labor day
Corey -
To quote my wife, “The best you can do is the best you can do.” You’ve got to make it work for you and your family. I was lucky, once I became observant, I was working for the government (and had supportive supervisors) and could leave early on winter Fridays using religious comp time, and make it up during the week.
Just watch out – Shabbat is very seductive, and will pull you further and further in. When Gail and I first moved in together, I was an unobservant Reform Jew, and she was a becoming observant Jew by choice. We would drive to the synagogue for Friday night services (and sometimes, when they had them, Saturday morning). But she didn’t want to listen to music. At first, I kept the stereo on low not to disturb her; after a while, I didn’t turn it on at all. I set up the lights on timers for her convenience, but after a while it was for me as well.
And so it went. The more I observed Shabbat, the more I wanted to observe Shabbat. The more I observed Kashrut, the more I wanted to observe Kashrut.
So just keep doing what works….
Shabbat Shalom.
Bill
Thanks Bill. And I agree. Shabbat is very seductive.
Corey Feldman recently posted…Shabbat and Labor day
I completely agree with Bill, “The best you can do is the best you can do” You make completely reasonable exceptions and very needed ones, you abide by it as best as you can and that’s whats important. I’m sure your family will be happy you choose to fly out and be able to participate in the wedding. =)
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They are and I agree as well but have a tad bit a guilt. I am hoping by the time the event comes around I will be over it.
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First let me say I am not a Jewish scholar, so I can’t say for a fact that what I am going to tell you is Jewish Law, however I was raised in a semi Orthodox environment. My great great grandfather was a Hassid, the kind that dances and sings all the time, not the kind that lures you into a Mitzvah mobile in Times Square. In my family nothing got in the way of a wedding. Not Shabbat, not a funeral for your parent, nothing. Being the kind of Hassid that he was, he felt the joys in life should be celebrated to the fullest. Weddings are the joy of a new family beginning, the whole “be fruitful and multiply” thing. Go enjoy the wedding and dance like a fool.
That is a great way to look at it!
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