Pastor Ken
In 2018, during the three-month “sabbatical” given to me by the church, my wife and I served as volunteers in Israel for seven weeks. Living in Jerusalem, I had a better understanding of how the Jews observe the Sabbath—the day of rest. The Sabbath is from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. When the time comes, sirens sound around the city to remind everyone. Soon, trams and buses stop running. Most shops and restaurants close their doors. The synagogues begin worship services at night. The elevators in some hotels automatically stop on each floor, so that the people who observe the Sabbath don’t need to press the buttons (pressing a button is considered “work”).
Jerusalem is a diverse city. Muslims and Christians do not have to follow this religious ritual. Although the activities in the city become reduced, some shops, restaurants, and tourist sites remain open. In other cities like Tel Aviv, the Sabbath rules are even looser, but Orthodox Jews still strictly observe the day.
Among the ten commandments in the Bible, the fourth commandment from God is for the Jews to observe the Sabbath. They work for six days a week, then rest for one day. Not only humans, but the animals must rest too. Since most people engaged in agriculture at that time, keeping the Sabbath meant refraining from working in the field. Plus, people should spend the day worshiping God, listening to teachings, and enjoying life with family and friends.
Regardless of whether we adhere to a religion, having one day off a week is good for our body, mind, and soul. The way of rest varies from person to person. Although my wife and I mainly engage in work involving brain activities rather than physical labor, my way of rest is to watch action movies or work in the house, while she enjoys reading books or growing flowers and vegetables in the backyard. We engage in different activities, but the purpose is the same. Rest means taking our minds off the professional world and turning our focus on other things.
I learned in school about Hooke’s Law regarding the elasticity of matter. The force exerted by a spring is proportional to the displacement from equilibrium, provided the displacement is small. Pulling a rubber band is a good example. Within a certain range, when the pulling is stopped, the rubber band will bounce back. If the force exceeds the range, it cannot recover and will deform. If the pulling continues, it will eventually break. It’s the same for our physical strength. After some hard labor, if we rest properly, our physical strength can be restored. However, without enough rest, the physical strength will decline over time. If we continue to overwork, our bodies will collapse one day.
This also applies to brain function. Without adequate rest, our brains cannot recuperate. If we continue to overdraw, one day we’ll be burned out. By that time, our minds may shut down, and we are unable to make any decision. In severe cases, one needs to be hospitalized.
Nowadays, too many urbanites use electronic devices nonstop. Many have already been staring at the computer monitor all day at work, and they continue to check their smartphones and watch TV after work. The most needed rest is to “unplug” and engage in some activities that do not require electricity. Then our eyes, fingers, and minds can rest. We should start cultivating some “unplug” hobbies when we are young. Later in life, when we feel exhausted from too many “plug” activities, we always have something to turn to for rest.
