1: A Day of Rest

Shabbat is an island in time, a day of rest in the rush of activity that engulfs the other six days of the weekly cycle. For 25 hours -- from sundown Friday evening to nightfall Saturday night -- we cease all creative involvement with our surroundings, transcend the worries and struggles of our daily existence, and enjoy the divine tranquility of G-d's day of rest.

We all know the story of how G-d created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. But creation was not a one time event. It is an ongoing process: G-d is continually creating our world in a cosmic cycle of work and rest. By resting on Shabbat, we bring our own lives in sync with the divine cycle of creation. We attest to G-d's creation of the world, affirm our own role as G-d's "partners in creation," and bring wholeness, holiness and purpose into our lives.