By AshleyLe
I will be honest here, I don't like staying still.
As a millennial who happens to be attending George Washington University, my schedules in the past two years tend to look similar to that of the rest of my classmates. In addition to the full load of classes, I still managed to squeeze in internships, volunteer services, student organizations, jobs, and student government. And while it sounds impossible, we (GW students and I) have gotten used to this routine of being on the move constantly. Thus, the concept of rest becomes somewhat strange and unnecessary. After all, how can you put resting on your resume, right?
When I arrived to Israel a month and a half ago, one of the first challenging adjustment was the observance of Shabbat. As the state of Israel is established as a Jewish state, its laws are rooted deeply in religious values. The observance of the Shabbat, the fifth of the Ten Commandments, begins at sunset on Friday evenings until an hour after sunset on Saturday evenings. During this time, businesses, public transportation, and almost every restaurants are closed. Religious Jews visit the Synagogue to pray and sing, while families gather for a festive Shabbat dinner.
Unfortunately, as a non-Jewish and study-abroad student, my experience with Shabbat does not revolve around festive Shabbat dinners or family gathering. Living in the holy city of Jerusalem, the challenge to find open businesses is almost impossible to achieve. With the closure of public transportation, shops, and restaurants, I found the 24 hours of Shabbat to be lengthy and lifeless. I felt trapped in my dorm, and unproductive as I am unable to explore more of Israel.
However, while I struggle to adjust, my friends seem to be coping better. Their experiences, like me, do not include Shabbat dinners or family gathering, but they always seem to find a way to make Shabbat their own holiday, whether by cooking together or hosting a game night. I joined my friends in a few occasions to forget the fact that I have no other option.
Eventually, I realized that the reason why I haven't been able to adjust to observing Shabbat is my unwillingness to rest. I did not want to learn, or try. I have always been on my feet, from Vietnam, to California, to Washington DC. To be still and rest for 24 hours without the option of doing something sounds like a punishment, one that I would disregard. To me, the act of resting and taking a break just seem selfish. What greater good would it serve if I take 24 hours to just focus on myself?
The answer varies. My answer? I'm still not sure.
What I'm slowly learning, fortunately, is that the necessity to have this time of rest is not a task. The opportunity to pause and take care of our basic needs is rather a reward of our work, and a chance to give ourselves what we need after we have given others what they needed. Employers reward their staff vacation days, while schools make sure that their curriculum does not affect the designated breaks for their students. Regardless of our occupation, rest is the common award that will be given and available for those who know it's worth taking.
Sometimes, it seems that we get so caught up in writing the perfect papers, making the flawless projects, or winning the perfect jobs, that we forget to pause and reflect on what is more important. We are called to have compassion on the world, and that includes to have compassion on ourselves.
I still have three months left in Israel, with more than 10 Shabbats to observe, and enough time to find my answer.