Reflections on Sabbath and Work

“Six days you shall labor but on the seventh day you shall rest even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.” (Ex 34:21)

The idea of Sabbath, or a day or rest, is found in the Ten Commandments in Exodus. My teachers tell me the basis of the commandment comes fro Genesis where God made the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th. One of the things that I felt was never adequately explained was what exactly is “labor”? (Also what is the penalty for disobeying this commandment?) Does it mean all work? What about me working on beating a Super Mario Bros. level? What about learning? I felt there was a lot of work I was doing in Sunday school. What about the preacher – he seemed to work on Sunday. And, because mom was pregnant with my little sister, what happened if mom went into labor on Sunday? That last one was especially concerning because it had the same word – “labor”. Needless to say, I was a very inquisitive boy, more than a little annoying to teachers, and often in time-out for asking too many questions.

Getting older has allowed me to travel and experience several different interpretations of keeping the Sabbath. In the fall, much of America seems to spend Sunday at church and then watching football. I’ve had jobs where I’ve had to work Sunday – Thursday, so I made my Sabbath on Saturday. I lived in a remote community were even laundry, swimming, cooking, and any other sort of “work” was forbidden. The village elders would enforce such moratoriums with fines. Sundays you went to church, ate left overs, and sat around. I think I was supposed to read the Bible more and pray most of the day. All of these are very different interpretations to keeping the Sabbath.

It seems to me that it does not matter which day you mark as Sabbath. Jews often hold it on Saturday, Christians on Sunday, and Muslims on Friday. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with keeping it on Tuesday.

Modern neurology has its own take on Sabbath. Neurologists have found that doing work puts chemicals into the brain. The brain needs a period of rest (more than sleep) in order to clear out these chemicals so it doesn’t get worn down. Furthermore, different activities use different parts of your brain and release different chemicals. So if you mix up activities you give one area of the brain, one group of chemicals, the chance to rest.

With the insights of neurology, I believe that work is whatever you do on a regular basis. So a publicist may need to stay off social media, an athlete not exercise, an author not write, a farmer not farm, and so on. More than just not doing things is to engage in things that help rejuvenate you. That is part of why vacations are so powerful – you are doing something very different than you normally do, engaging different parts of your brain. For me, I have found that building and gardening relaxes me. I find them calming, whereas writing and emoting can be draining. Being alone and quiet also regenerates.

Take some time to figure out what relaxes and regenerates you. Add it to your weekly routine and see the difference it makes.

For more reading on what the neurologists are up to check out: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mental-downtime/ and https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/secret-to-brain-success-intelligent-cognitive-rest-2017050411705

#Sabbath #Paradigm #Intentionality #Education