Intro
Welcome to Soulful Jewish Living: Mindful Practices for Every Day with me, Josh Feigelson.
I’m grateful you’re here, and I hope you benefit from our time together.
A few episodes back we played a short clip of Charlton Heston playing Moses as he came down Mount Sinai in the movie, “The Ten Commandments.” Coincidentally, in another recent episode we played a clip of Mel Brooks as the Two Thousand Year Old Man. And if you’re an astute observer of Jewish comedy, you may already be on to what I’m about to do, which is play this clip of Mel Brooks parodying Charlton Heston as Moses, this time coming down the mountain with not two, but three tablets of stone—one of which he drops:
Though we don’t really need a reason – in fact, everything Jewish should start with Mel Brooks, if you ask me – I want to start here this week for a couple of reasons. The first is that some of you have pointed out that our count in this miniseries on the Ten Commandments is a little funny. In truth, we did two episodes on what’s generally referred to as the First Commandment. And that means that while this is the fifth episode in the series, we’re only covering Shabbat, usually counted as the Fourth Commandment, today. I apologize for any confusion we may have caused.
But another reason I wanted to start with that clip of Mel Brooks as Moses is that the gag is actually a very good lesson in our topic for today, Shabbat. Because most fundamentally, Shabbat is about practicing holding on and letting go: Not holding on to too much, not holding on too tightly, but holding just enough and holding it just right. And that applies whether we’re talking about how we hold onto stone tablets in our hands or all the stuff we’re carrying inside our minds, hearts, and bodies all the time.
Of course, this isn’t the first time we’ve talked about Shabbat on Soulful Jewish Living. We’ve had a lot of episodes about it, including an entire seven-episode miniseries on Shabbat practices in our third season (of course, we’ll link to it in the show notes). And that reflects the fact that Shabbat is, pretty much hands down, the number one Jewish mindfulness practice there is.
Shabbat isn’t just something we practice on Friday night and Saturday. The Fourth Commandment—the version in the book of Exodus, that is—says, “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.” The ancient rabbis understood this to mean, Don’t just remember it on Shabbat itself, but remember it all the time. What they’re telling us is that Shabbat isn’t just a day; it’s a consciousness, a way of living. Shabbat consciousness—the consciousness that comes from actively pausing and resting and letting go one day a week—that’s the most fundamental, ongoing way we put into practice the big ideas of the preceding commandments.
Want to ground in the Oneness of the universe? Want to come back to it when your mind wanders? Want to avoid the trappings of false idols? Want to speak truth? Practice Shabbat. It will bring you back again and again. Not just at Shabbat dinner, but even on a Tuesday afternoon.
In rabbinic Hebrew, Shabbat is often called by a fuller name: Shabbat Kodesh, the Holy Sabbath. That name is a reminder of how it’s referred to in the Ten Commandments: Remember the Sabbath day l’kadsho, to keep it holy. And, by remembering Shabbat, we not only keep Shabbat holy, but we keep ourselves holy. By living with a Shabbat mind, we help ourselves to stay grounded in the Oneness of the universe, avoid the distractions and false idols of the world, and stay true to our purpose and intention.
Here’s a simple meditation practice you can do to practice what I want to call “Shabbat mind.” You can do it if you have a few minutes or a whole hour. It’s really simple.
Slow down. Allow your body to arrive. Allow your mind to settle a bit.
Try to set down whatever might be preoccupying you right now. A big project for school or work. A fight with a family member. For the next few minutes, you have nowhere else to be and nothing else to do.
We’re going to do a really simple breathing practice. It involves counting, which can be a really helpful thing because it gives the thinking mind something to do.
So, as you breathe in, make a gentle mental count: one.
Then, as you breathe out, again make a gentle note: two.
Keep the count really gentle and light. Like a soft hand on the back.
In, three.
Out, four.
In, five.
Out, six.
And now, when we come to the inhale on seven, try saying, “Shabbat.”
And on the exhale, try saying “Kodesh,” holy.
Try it for another cycle, gently counting: one to six, and then Shabbat Kodesh.
The gentleness of the counting here is a practice is holding lightly. Not grasping too much, not letting go completely. Just holding our minds and our hearts in a light and firm enough embrace—and maybe helping ourselves to feel held in the same embrace by the loving animating life force of the universe.
Blessings for the journey. Know that I’m on it with you.
ENDING
Thank you for joining us for Soulful Jewish Living: Mindful Practices for Every Day, a production of Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media, and the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. This episode is sponsored by Jonathan and Kori Kalafer and the Somerset Patriots: The Bridgewater, NJ-based AA Affiliate of the New York Yankees. If you like this show, subscribe, share this episode with a friend, give us five stars on Apple Podcasts. Check out our website, unpacked.media for everything Unpacked-related, and subscribe to our other podcasts, and check out the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Most importantly, be in touch–about what you heard today, what you’d like to hear more about, or to dedicate an episode. Write to me at josh@unpacked.media.
This episode was hosted by me, Rabbi Josh Feigelson. Audio was edited by Rob Pera and we’re produced by Rivky Stern. Thanks for joining us.