Tonight is Shabbat. For hundreds of years, Orthodox Jews have gathered on Friday evening and celebrated together. God commanded them to light candles, bless wine and bread, and join together in a meal.
There is no god - no entity that commanded us to follow the fourth commandment and remember and keep Shabbat holy. There is no god that we need to honor and respect by following his commandments.
But no tradition exists without a reason. So tonight, we look at those reasons. Tonight we sit with those reasons. And tonight, we notice those reasons in ourselves.
Shabbat is typically considered a time of peace and tranquility. During the six other days of the week, life is hectic and stressful. But Shabbat is one day to set that all aside and be present.
There are many types of things to set aside. And many ways of being present. Tonight, rather than set aside our work, we set aside our resistance to our emotions - whatever they may be. And tonight, we attempt to sit with and accept whatever we’re experiencing. Tonight, we let go of that resistance. Tonight, we burn our resistance.
“What’s true is already so. Owning up to it doesn’t make it worse. Not being open about it doesn’t make it go away. And because it is true, it is what is there to be interacted with. Anything untrue isn’t there to be lived. People can stand what is true, for they are already enduring it.”
-Eugene Gendlin
(Participants write down the word “resistance” on a piece of paper. Light a candle, and burn that paper)
On Shabbat, god gives Jews an extra soul. A separate inner light that makes it a more special day and changes how they experience the world.
But as much as we feel like we’re not our bodies, consciousness is part of our body. We have no soul, nor can we be given one.
But there are different states we can be in. And in some of those states, it’s easier to sit with emotions.
Tonight, we try to notice the state we’re in. Tonight, we try to locate that state of less resistance. Tonight, as if we have an extra soul, we try to change how we typically experience the world.
But if we can’t, that’s okay. If we can’t, we try not to fight the feeling of not being able to. And instead, we sit with the struggle and the experience of resisting what we’re experiencing
On Shabbat, Jews say a blessing over a cup of wine to sanctify this holy day. It reminds them that god created the world, continuously helps them, and gave them this day to celebrate.
Tonight, Shabbat isn’t holy or special because god commanded us to keep and honor it. It’s special because we choose to sit with our emotions and what we’re experiencing. It’s special because of the parts of us that exist and the emotions we feel. It’s special because of us.
Tonight, instead of remembering and thanking god as we say a blessing over wine, we notice and thank the parts of ourselves that are most present. We thank them for having our best interest in mind and trying their hardest. We thank them for existing and for making our life special.
“Don’t assume your inner critic is what you think it is… It’s a part of you trying to protect you somehow. And if you can think of it that way, it isn’t going to have the same level of power over you.”
-Richard Schwartz
(Participants sit in silence for a minute and then raise a cup of wine and say “Thank you”)