The Sabbath

by Abraham Joshua Heschel

Book Overview

Elegant, passionate, and filled with the love of God's creation, Abraham Joshua Heschel's The Sabbath has been hailed as a classic of Jewish spirituality ever since its original publication--and has been read by thousands of people seeking meaning in modern life. In this brief yet profound meditation on the meaning of the Seventh Day, Heschel, one of the most widely respected religious leaders of the twentieth century, introduced the influential idea...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374512671
• ISBN13: 9780374512675
• Release Date: January 1975
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
• Length: 126 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.7" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

The love for Sabbath

It is a very nice book. Not many pages but I was hoping it would talk more about as to why and how to celebrate the sabbath. It talks a little about why but not as much as I wanted. However it does talk about how lovely that day is. It is like a writing of love for the sabbath. Very eloquent.

Breathtaking

The Sabbath is an awesome book to read for both Jews and Christians alike. Heschel's discussion of time, space and posessions is inspiring, and transforming. As a Christian, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and found it to be a very enlightening description of Jewish heritage. It challenged me to think about what time I observe with God, and for what reasons; what are my priorities; and how effective am I in living out my faith.

Amazing theology and writing

Heschel's little 100 page book maybe the most important one I've read in the last year. He does not offer simplistic, pragmatic rationale for taking a day off, but the theological underpinnings for why God designed us to function in a pattern of work and rest. I won't ruin the many great surprises in the little book, but here are a few gems: Our need for more time, which we are always losing, is compensated by our search for more space, in our ongoing pursuit of more property. Time and space essentially struggle with one another through our lives. Yet time is eternal while the spatial is temporal. So, in essence, we have to make time for the eternal in our week. The parable about the body needing to celebrate with the soul on the Sabbath on page 19 is priceless. The criticism of Philo's defense of the Sabbath, that it is more Roman than Jewish, is brilliant. The conclusion that the Sabbath is a day we recreate Eden and relive God's intention for us is so beautiful that I will need to take a day off this week to think about it. "The Sabbath" is articulate, deep, witty, and practical. I couldn't recommend it more.

Excellent introduction to the spirituality of the Sabbath

I never fully grasped the significance of Sabbath-keeping until reading this book. Heschel introduces several key ideas about the nature of time and how the Sabbath sancitfies time. I am a Christian minister and found this to be an excellent resource, so I would recommend this to anyone who is seeking to understand the important of rest and rhythm in life.

Beautiful

Quite simply, this is one of the most beautiful, inspiring books I have ever read. Abraham Joshua Heschel, in a very short, accessible, clear manner, spells out the meaning of the Sabbath. I have been Jewish all my life, but realize now that I never truly understood Sabbath. The lessons in this book, which takes very little time to read, come back to me now every Friday night when I sit down with my family to say Shabbat prayers. It also has changed my approach to life the rest of the week, as Mr. Heschel explains the blessing of work and rest, and the place for each in life. Followers of other religions (certainly Christians) who have a day of rest will appreciate and benefit from the message of this book as much as Jewish individuals.