Dear Congregation Beth Israel members and friends,

Summer is a quiet time on the Jewish calendar. Now that Shavuot is behind us, the next big thing on the horizon is Tisha b’Av in late August, followed by the seven-week runway to the Days of Awe.

Between now and Tisha b’Av, the only Jewish holidays are days of collective mourning, like 17 Tammuz (when we remember the breach in Jerusalem’s city walls long ago) and the Three Weeks (when we remember the siege of Jerusalem that led to the destruction of the Temple.) These mourning remembrances are unfamiliar to many of us, and besides, who wants to think about death and destruction during the glorious Berkshire summer? So the season stretches ahead of us devoid of markings in Jewish time…

Except, of course, for Shabbat.

I got an email recently that made my week. Keeping details anonymous, I can tell you that this person wrote to me to say that they were looking really forward to Kabbalat Shabbat. There’s a sense of anticipation, they said. An eagerness to put a seal on the week, to stop holding our breath and let ourselves unwind, to set down life’s burdens and sink into the pleasures of shared song! When I got the email, I did what my son calls the “happy rabbi dance.” (Picture me bouncing around in my chair and beaming.) I love it when someone realizes how great Shabbat can feel.

Shabbat is an incomparable gift, if we learn how to receive it. When I teach Journey Into Judaism (which I’m planning to do later in 2025, probably in the fall – stay tuned!) and we reach the chapter on Shabbat, I’m always braced to hear dismay at the many structures of traditional Shabbat observance. I am here to tell you that observing Shabbat in the traditional ways can actually be incredibly beautiful. It’s not really about “giving up” technology or racing to prepare food in advance. More like – letting go of burdens and relaxing into a different quality of time.

But even if we don’t observe in all (or any!) of the traditional ways, Shabbat is here to uplift us every week. I make a practice of not looking at the newspapers during Shabbat… and I notice how many times my fingers automatically twitch toward opening a new tab to see what has gone wrong in the world since last time I checked. I make a practice of lighting candles and blessing bread and wine and my son every week… and I notice how my mood shifts when I strike the match and set down the old week like a backpack I don’t have to carry anymore.

I particularly love summer Shabbats at CBI, when the long light of late evening or the new light of morning paints our meditation labyrinth and pollinator garden and the hills in gold. I love stepping outside onto our patio for a silent evening Amidah, or midway through morning prayer, and letting myself breathe with the trees and the birds and the rooster next door. Surely there aren’t many more beautiful places to celebrate Shabbat than this one right here.

Summer can be a slow time in Jewish life, but it’s also a time to stop and notice what’s sweet. I look forward to pausing to notice the world’s beauty with all of you.

Blessings to all,

— Rabbi Rachel