“More than Israel has kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept Israel.” Ahad Ha’am, an early cultural Zionist wrote before the founding of the State of Israel. As we turn our attention back to Shabbat mode, we pause. What did Ahad Ha’am mean?

I think there are implications for our ongoing discussion of community. There is something about Shabbat that helps sustain a community. Having the routine is part of it. The rhythms. The familiar prayers. The melodies. The aromas from the kitchen. The warmth of the candles. The sweet wine. Family and friends gathered together.

Coming together is only part of it. Prayer is only part of it. Coming together to share a bite to eat is only part of it. It is what transpires in that moment. Those moments. Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of the leading Jewish theologians of our age talks about the Sabbath as a palace in time. It is the intersection of sacred space and sacred time. It is a foretaste of the world to come. It is heaven. Or heaven on earth.

Sometimes it isn’t a whole 25 hour Shabbat. I am a realist. And I liked the approach of Wayne Muller, who also wrote a book called Sabbath, after following Zalman Shacter Shalomi around for a year. For him it is not about the list of prohibitions on Shabbat. For him it is about creating that joy, that delight, that he experienced with Zalman. For him it is about creating Shabbat moments. I particularly liked the idea of the gratitude one individual expressed for a perfect glass of fresh squeezed orange juice, glinting in the morning sun. Ah, Shabbat!

But it is that coming together that creates that feeling of heaven. It is the extra soul we are given on Shabbat so we rise above the craziness of the week. It is the extra spice that is added to the food to give it that Shabbat flavor. It is rushing around (as I am supposed to be doing right now) and preparing the house for Shabbat so that when we sing “Shalom Aleichem” to the angels, the good angel says “May it always be so.” And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

In the process we create community. We eagerly anticipate seeing our friends at synagogue as we catch up with them over lox and bagels, or challah and a little schnapps. I have often said, the better the food, the more people linger, the more people share their lives. That’s community. This week in my community, we will celebrate a Bat Mitzvah. We will pray with those, or for those in need of healing. We will help someone say Kaddish for a loved one. All of those build community too.

Ahad Ha’am was right. The Sabbath has kept Israel. It is one of our greatest gifts to humanity.