Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Random House (2010), Edition: 1, 288 pages
Description
In this erudite, elegantly written book, critic Judith Shulevitz weaves together histories of the Jewish and Christian sabbaths, speculations on the nature of time, and a rueful account of her personal struggle with the day. Whatever our faith or lack thereof, this rich and resonant meditation on the day of rest will remind us of the danger of letting time drive us heedlessly forward without ever stopping to reflect.
Awards
National Jewish Book Award (Finalist — 2010)
Sophie Brody Medal (Winner — 2011)
The New York Times Notable Books of the Year (Nonfiction — 2010)
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member traumleben
A partly autobiographical exploration of Sabbath history and the evolution of temporal sacred space across the centuries. It was an interesting read on the origins of the Sabbath in both Jewish and Christian cultures and how societies have (or haven't) implemented its secular or non-secular
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observation. In the 21st Century, where US "blue laws" go largely unenforced and ubiquitous communication is such that we need to purposely choose silence, it elicits some good questions about what the Sabbath (or just a day of rest and contemplation) mean to us. Show Less
LibraryThing member arosoff
Shulevitz combines religion (Judaism and Christianity), philosophy, history, and memoir to explore the history of the Sabbath and more abstractly, the nature of time and our relationship to it. How did we come to mark the seventh day as the Sabbath? Why do we mark this pause in time, and what does
The range of sources in a relatively brief book means that interesting topics get less time than they could, but Shulevitz weaves it all together well.
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it signify? How has the meaning of "Sabbath rest" transformed over the centuries, and what does--what should--it mean today?The range of sources in a relatively brief book means that interesting topics get less time than they could, but Shulevitz weaves it all together well.
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ISBN
1400062004 / 9781400062003