It’s a new fad. Many spas and health clubs have them – they are called “relaxation rooms”. Many of us live a stress filled existence where the only relaxation we get is when we are sleeping. Even when we are on vacation we have access to our cell phone, e-mail and other work related equipment. It is therefore not surprising that we have had to create artificial places for relaxation, spaces where one can rest without the interruption of technology and work. But are we supposed to really relax and take it easy? Shouldn’t we be leading a productive life? Is relaxation for its own sake a good thing?
In this week’s Torah portion we read about the seventh sabbatical year when farmers would give their fields a rest and stop farming for the duration of the year[1]. Commenting on this idea the great Hasidic master Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev (1740-1810) says that the Sabbatical for the land is similar to the weekly Shabbat. The weekly rest on Shabbat originally came about when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, Moses asked Pharaoh to allow the Israelite slaves a weekly day of rest. Moses chose the seventh day for this[2]. Once the Israelites had left Egypt and they were no longer involved in back breaking hard labour a whole day of rest was obsolete. Nonetheless God commanded them[3] to rest on the seventh day. Thus, the rest on Shabbat was now not borne out of necessity due to exhaustion; they now rested because of a Divine command. Similarly, says Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, some farmers may rest the land on a regular basis for agricultural purposes; on the sabbatical year however one should rest the land only because the Divine command says so.[4]
This is a most fascinating concept: God commands people to rest and relax even though they may not need it in order to be productive. It is as though rest and relaxation have their own inherent benefits. Indeed they have. As long as one rests only in order to have the strength to toil further, the respite can be considered an extension of work[5]. In order to succeed at work one must be competitive and creative. This involves immersion in the physical world. Absorbed in the mundane sphere, one is unable to perceive a deeper reality and connect to a spiritual plane. This can only be achieved by detaching oneself from all aspects of work and entering a space that is dedicated purely and solely to rest for its own sake. In this virtual “relaxation room” one can begin to explore other worldly, mystical and spiritual elements of existence.
Shabbat is not a time to rest to regain energy. It is a time to rest and relax for the sake of it. It is an artificial space where one can detach from the mundane and enter the domain of the sublime. Shabbat is not only a day in the week – it is a concept as well. In fact we can take five minutes each day and turn it in to a daily Shabbat. Try escaping the pressures and stresses of daily life: enter your own virtual “relaxation room” and connect to a higher realm. Five minutes of pure “Shabbat type” relaxation each day is guaranteed to enhance the quality of an entire life.