Geoffrey Melcher

Jewish Worldview in “Sacred Time”

Throughout the course of Jewish texts, the Tanakh and its authors lay out the foundation for the future of Judaism’s dogma consequently creating a religious lifestyle with an inherent calendar for its potential followers to live by. Whether it was in Deuteronomy that the daily recitation of the Shema is established, or the book of Genesis that established the practice of the Sabbath, or the precedent of sacrifices for the future of Yom Kippur as described in Leviticus, Judaism shows a disposition for “sacred time” that transgresses the daily lives of its followers, setting time aside to commemorate the history of their religion, while propelling it forward with timely prayer and adherence to precedent…….

In the book of Deuteronomy (6:7), the Jewish Shema is established, which is a prayer that is recited twice a day, aside from regular prayer, to reinforce an affirmation of of Judaism and to declare that their faith only resides in one God. Taking into account that this is an obligation, aside from prayer, its primary purpose appears to be the transparent claim that they consider themselves to be part of a monotheistic sect, not of the polytheistic sects that developed out of Orthodox Judaism. While it basically becomes the “pledge of allegiance” of the Jewish faith (reciting once in the morning and once at night), its content past the opening lines of “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one”, can be best interpreted as a call for both the casual and formal evangelism of non-followers and as a hint as to what how God is in form. Having a God that is described as “one” in nature the first demands the belief “that no system of value not just another religion but an ideology, art, success, or personal happiness—be allowed to replace God as the ultimate ground of meaning” (Mintz, Back To The Sources, 408). As followers have confirmed their belief in “Yahweh”, and accepted the commandments by reciting the Shema, the next logical function of the reader of the prayer is to become a breathing example of the ideas in the text. With the Shema’s insistence that “you should teach [the words] diligently to your children… when you are on a journey, and to yourself”, a believer vows to dedicate “sacred time” to prayer ritual as well as to the eventual teaching of those who may be aware of its claim of eternal salvation. On top of its significance in textual form, the contents of the prayer also cement themselves as a physical symbol of a Jewish household, with its order to “write [The words of the Shema] on the doorpost of your house, as well as the gates.” This serves as a visible reminder that they believe in one God personally, as well as an external reminder to others that the owners of the house reflect the beliefs of the holy decoration and that sacred time is an imminent part of their everyday lives.

The Jewish Sabbath, established in the book of Genesis by means of the Ten Commandments, expresses its wish for God’s people to adhere to a schedule of six days of work with the seventh designated for rest, just as He did Himself did after Creation. The Hebrew word for “Sabbath”, “Shabbat”, which translates in Hebrew as rest, was created as a form of “sacred time” to remind the Jewish people of Creation (Exodus 20:11) as well as God’s role in the ending of their ancestors enslavement in Egypt. Upon nightfall on Friday, patrons of Judaism light candles to welcome the advent of the Sabbath and say the “Four Blessings”; one for blessing children and wife (Proverbs 31: 10-31), one blessing the wine (Shabbat Kiddush/Sanctification), one blessing the bread (Motzi), and one blessing that includes the washing of both hands. The recurring themes in these rituals are “thankfulness”, “creation”, and “imitation”. Whereas the blessing of the children takes into account gratitude and the wish that they are created in the likeness of the sons of Abraham, the remaining blessings concern themselves with thanking God for providing Creation, providing the bread and wine, as well as providing Judaism with a presence that has and will always look out for their best interests. This sacred time and ritual reinforces the claim that the Shema makes, that they are a people who worship one Creator, but sometimes in more of a historical, event-based notion. The historical context of arguably the most recognizable sacred time to non-Jews is that this day specifically commemorates the metaphysical manifestation of the works of their savior to their earthly lives, embodied in the two aforementioned events. The Sabbath is significant, in that aside from its allusions to key events in scripture, it also serves as the standard and most consistent time set aside for worship. Aside from its longstanding tradition, the Sabbath also differs from other “sacred times” in terms of its intent. As opposed to other holy obligations such as the Catholic “Ash Wednesday” or the Islamic “Haaj”, in that this event flips the classical motif of associating religion with submission while focusing solely on the celebration of being part of Judaism’s culture. With its roots based in such spiritually affirming events like “Creation” and Jewish freedom, it was created for the people as a day of rest with no tolerance for “personal anxiety or care, or anything that might dampen the spirit of joy”: including the exclusion of the recitation of all 18 Benedictions which could potentially lead to a sorrowful occasion (Heschel, The Sabbath, 30). The Sabbath is a day of joy, with all repentance left to the Jewish New Year.

Rosh-Ha-Shanah (Ezekiel, 40:1) and Yom Kippur (Leviticus 23:24), known as the “Jewish New Year” and “The Day Of Atonement” respectively, are labeled “High Holy Days”: the most sacred times on the Jewish calendar. Rosh-Ha-Shanah celebrates the beginning of the New Year and the possibility of forming a clean, moral slate by repenting and making goals for the future. The two-day celebration of Rosh-Ha-Shanah alludes to the Creation of the world, which according to the Talmud occurred on the same day as this holiday, or Tikirit (First of the month) in Hebrew. One of the physical symbols of the holiday, the eating of apples and honey, is accompanied by a prayer for tree fruit as well as a specific “apples and honey” prayer that wishes “that [God] renew for us a good and sweet year”. As this day occurs between the first day of the seventh month in the Jewish calendar and Yom Kippur, the middle days constitute the “Days of Awe”: a time to turn away from sin and begin anew. According to one of the beliefs associated with these two holidays, God is thought to write down the names of the “chosen” in a book at the beginning of Rosh-Ha-Shanah, only to be sealed in “The Book Of Life” on Yom Kippur if acceptance is gained within these sacred days through repentance, prayer, and charity. On Yom Kippur, as a historical microcosm for the reward of adequate repentance, the story of Abraham’s near compliance to God with the slaying of his son Isaac is told. This story becomes significant as it sets the standard of accepting God’s Word: to adhere to it fully without qualms and a faith that allows one not to misinterpret what he says but to put aside their reservations as a testament to his greatness and a belief in His Divine plan for the world. The final symbol of the sacred “High Holidays” is the “shofar”, which is a hollowed out ram’s horn as an allusion to the animal sacrificed instead of Isaac. As the final blow symbolizes the end of the holiday, it also symbolizes a foundational element of Judaism: that they believe in one, graceful God who provides a King to the world.

In conclusion, sacred time is prevalent in Jewish culture whether it be daily, weekly, or monthly. Although each have their own history and symbols attached to them, they all pay homage to one “God” and his system of morality and the salvation that can be provided granted that one adheres to tradition and faith.