Shabbat and Developing a Jewish Connection

Often in the Jewish world there is an obsession with mitzvot, particularly mitzvot of things like kashrut and shabbat. I myself often feel the pressure. Frequently, as some friends can point out, I feel like the worst Jew ever, because I am not in the category of shomer mitzvot. I use electricity and often work on the shabbat. I refuse to relegate myself solely to the Jewish Community, although I feel strongly connected to that community, and often lead within that community as well.

In many ways, I wish I had the ability to be more observant. However, I am weak, and the opportunity costs just seem too high. Perhaps I risk the hand of an angry God striking me down, though I doubt that. As such, I struggle to make meaning in the way I best can, and in the most meaningful situation.

Thus, I participate in the community. If it were not for the hell of 1L year, I would actually do some serious Jewish study. I pretty much go to shul every week. Yet, I have found the terms to describe people like me and many others committed to Judaism, but less observnt living within these communities that have such committment and various observance as tough.

Hence, my friend used the term zocher shabbat, to counterbalance the weight of the term shomer shabbat. Shomer shabbat implies you keep the sabbath to a fairly full extent. I do not fit here. Yet, I try to do shabbat activities every week, usually attending services Saturday morning, and often doing a meal. For those like us, the term zocher shabbat is indeed a lovely play that works.

What I particularly love about this term is that it shows actually shows a level of deep understanding and Jewish commitment in the term itself. As is often said, "shamor v'zachor b'dibur echad," roughly translated that keeping (shomer) and remembering (zocher) are in one word. Often within a traditional understanding this means the sense of mitzvot splitting, shamor refers to avoiding the negative acts of transgressions (Don't use fire, do not cook) while zachor refers to positive commandments (do make kiddush, do light candles).

However, even extending beyond that, the notion is that communities, at least that I go to, can encompass all views like this. There are those who keep everything. Yet, there are those, like me, who honor and remember the sabbath in a different way. Ultimately in public practice compromises are made. However, we are all part of the same group, and hence too come from a single utterance.