[Excerpted from an essay by David Suissa, editor-in-chief
and publisher of Tribe Media Corp and Jewish Journal.]

Shabbat, of course, is a lot more than a prayer service. It is the Friday night meal with its many rituals; it is Torah study, conversation, meditation, reconnection with family and community, unplugging from our smartphones, and so on.
Shabbat delivers gifts that we need all week. If it helps us repair ourselves, it can help us repair the world. If it helps us feel gratitude, it can make us more grateful. If it helps us slow down, it can make us more thoughtful.
Shabbat is reliable. It’s not an abstract ideal that floats in the air. It is concrete, wired in, guaranteed to show up every Friday at sundown to deliver its abundant blessings. What other Jewish program has such a built-in mechanism to encourage weekly, ongoing connection with a tradition and community?
And yet, when Jewish innovators look for the big ideas that will secure the Jewish future, the Shabbat experience is often overlooked. Maybe we just take this Jewish tradition for granted. Maybe it doesn’t feel new and exciting enough.
It’s time we take a fresh look at this ancient ritual that hits the sweet spot between tradition and modernity. It’s time we invest more resources in an idea that has real potential to renew and strengthen the connection with the Jewish tradition.

[What are your ideas to strengthen the Shabbat experience in our shul? Email The Shofar at sbblazer@hotmail.com.]