Shabbat in a Pagan World

[Questor]

Living in the country, and no where near another Messianic Believer, I keep Shabbat as I can.

This is not a helpful thought to me...I want to keep shabbat according to my very simple rules for Shabbat, based on what is described in the Tanakh, but I can't, not always...because I have no one to keep shabbat with...no community to live within or to work with, to keep me on a Shabbat mindset when emergencies arise...and they do.

And when I have an emergency, and thus can work Sundays, if I can simply manage not to call him for help on a Shabbat just because I am conditioned to 'Christians', who watch sports on Sundays, or keep a family day.

But for me, I feel terrible that I cannot avoid emergencies on Shabbat. Yes, I know, an attack, a testing, and I don't have the reactions built yet to cope with these problems.   It's stupid things...like not being able to figure out what happened to the well that was working and suddenly isn't. That messed up my Shabbat last week, but after calling for aid, I dropped the problem in G-d's hands, used some already gathered, stored water now that my 3500 galllon tank was empty, planned for a float alarm, and got my water going again on Monday.  I fell back into my Shabbat last week fairly quickly...and reminded myself that no one much does anything on the weekends in regard to well problems.

This week was the greenhouse cooler. I live in SoCal, in the mountains, and the light is bright and hot even in the winter in a greenhouse, so after floods and rain last week, we had late spring occur beautifully as the daffodils opened fully in bright sunshine without winds.  My sump pump for the Greenhouse cooler merely disconnected from it's connection. I know how to fix it, and could do so if strong enough to take the blasted thing out of the tank, manage the weight of the 35 foot pipe, and then lift all back into place, but it needs two people, and I live alone now, praise Abba!

But that means a call to my newly found Viking helper...nice guy, helpful, smart, learning new stuff all the time, and totally into Valhalla. Tried Christianity...it didn't match up well with gangs, prison, and his rehab into a normal life, which shows the guy has great potential, since he broke away on his own, and started over!

I witnessed to him today without telling him I was working on Shabbat to be able to get the problem solved. I was giving him a positive reaction on something he told me, that led into it...G-dstuff always falls out of my mouth when explaining why I say the things I do.

He didn't even want G-d to disturb him in a future moment. He's happy as he is, or so he says. And Abba will work on it, because I prayed anyway.  And my helper knows now that I have a critical opinion of what he experienced previously, but that I am doubtful of his Norse gods, but he was open about not caring what I thought because I was cool with him being open about it. I wanted him to remain a tad open to a future moment, and let Abba take care of it, so I didn't push.

And me...I'm miserable because I didn't do what I would have preferred, yet glad I managed to open a door to this guy for Abba since he was here, and am consioling myself that something positive happened other than my cooler getting fixed, instead of the positive Shabbat all day.

It's stupid to feel so, and I know that I will do better as I get more used to just letting things fall apart every weekend, and simply putting extra measures in place to protect myself from unnecessary problems on the wrong day so I can enjoy the one day everyone does not want me to keep.

But as soon as the problem was fixed, I went back into the house, and started listening to a good Rabbi on Purim, and Esther, and made more plans for the property G-d has given me to live on...just a small country place, with improvements always to be made. And I was happy, and that was strange, because I did want to keep Shabbat to my very low standards, and I couldn't.

But I had a good day anyway, and have arranged to hire said helper on a regular monthly basis, as well as for emergencies, in order to prevent problems, and get the muscle power I need...someone who can actually run my tractor, since I was never good at it, and so forth.

But it will happen again, and I will be faced again with the problem...to keep Shabbat as I would like to, and actually survive out here on my own without local community, or keeping Shabbat as I can.  I don't beat myself up overly on these things, but I would welcome your thoughts to get my mind straight.  It's a pagan world...what do I do?

[alon]

Well, the first thing is to realize you aren't alone. Most people who come here have similar problems. I am lucky to have a group and a Rabbi that meets on Erev Shabbat and most feasts, including the non-commanded ones. But Saturday itself is, to me, like a big hole in my week. Nothing to do, and no one to do it with. In fact, they are all trying to get me to do SOMETHING! It's frustrating. But we do the best we can. Shabbat is a day of studying the Word as well as some relaxing for me. Others may spend a lot of time in prayer or meditating on scripture. Or all he above.

The next thing is that there is a heirarchy to the mitzvoth. Remember Yeshua's question, if your ox is in the ditch, don't you get it out? And you even turn your livestock in to water on Shabbat. So in a true emergency you can break Shabbat and not sin. But that begs the question: what constitutes a true emergency? If it threatens your or someone else's life or health, then that is obviously an emergency. If it threatens your livelihood, I'd think that too is an emergency. Just wanting the overtime- not so much. Well problems may be a true emergency if you have no other way of getting water. However as you are doing, once burned a little preparedness goes a long way to keep Shabbat sacred the next time.

Witnessing is always acceptable, as is doing mitzvoth for others tat cannot be done in the week. I asked Rav S about this, and he confirmed it. I also participate in some family activities on Shabbat that are not strictly allowed. But I wasn't there for a lot of these when the kids were growing up, so I try not to alienate them now. I do however refuse most things, as they know it is my Shabbat. I don't allow them to schedule my time; especially when they either don't believe or, like most Christians don't care about breaking their "Sabbath." Is this sin on my part? I truely do not know. But I judge some things important, such as maintaining and strengthening family bonds. This too is biblical- just I am never sure where it falls, either as sin or as a good reason for breaking Shabbat. I do the best I can, which is all I can do.

One rule of thumb I apply to the decision making process though- if I have to wrestle with the problem too long or think of excuses, it is probably a true violation. So I don't. Best to be safe. But, like you, I still worry.

It can be difficult for the contemporary Messianic. Especially those of us who live away from the main congregation; or worse those doing this all on their own. All I can tell you is that the truth, G-d's truth, is worth it in the end.

Dan C

[Questor]

Mar 4, 2017 21:10:00 GMT -8 alon said:

Well, the first thing is to realize you aren't alone. Most people who come here have similar problems. I am lucky to have a group and a Rabbi that meets on Erev Shabbat and most feasts, including the non-commanded ones. But Saturday itself is, to me, like a big hole in my week. Nothing to do, and no one to do it with. In fact, they are all trying to get me to do SOMETHING! It's frustrating. But we do the best we can. Shabbat is a day of studying the Word as well as some relaxing for me. Others may spend a lot of time in prayer or meditating on scripture. Or all the above.

The next thing is that there is a heirarchy to the mitzvoth. Remember Yeshua's question, if your ox is in the ditch, don't you get it out? And you even turn your livestock in to water on Shabbat. So in a true emergency you can break Shabbat and not sin. But that begs the question: what constitutes a true emergency? If it threatens your or someone else's life or health, then that is obviously an emergency. If it threatens your livelihood, I'd think that too is an emergency. Just wanting the overtime- not so much. Well problems may be a true emergency if you have no other way of getting water. However as you are doing, once burned a little preparedness goes a long way to keep Shabbat sacred the next time.

Witnessing is always acceptable, as is doing mitzvoth for others that cannot be done in the week. I asked Rav S about this, and he confirmed it. I also participate in some family activities on Shabbat that are not strictly allowed. But I wasn't there for a lot of these when the kids were growing up, so I try not to alienate them now. I do however refuse most things, as they know it is my Shabbat. I don't allow them to schedule my time; especially when they either don't believe or, like most Christians don't care about breaking their "Sabbath." Is this sin on my part? I truely do not know. But I judge some things important, such as maintaining and strengthening family bonds. This too is biblical- just I am never sure where it falls, either as sin or as a good reason for breaking Shabbat. I do the best I can, which is all I can do.

One rule of thumb I apply to the decision making process though- if I have to wrestle with the problem too long or think of excuses, it is probably a true violation. So I don't. Best to be safe. But, like you, I still worry.

It can be difficult for the contemporary Messianic. Especially those of us who live away from the main congregation; or worse those doing this all on their own. All I can tell you is that the truth, G-d's truth, is worth it in the end.

Dan C

Alas, living on the edge of the desert, no matter how mountainous, without a well, and without plenty of water, you soon die.  It's just like the Negev in Israel, except our water is a lot further down in the ground.  I never could get a hand dug well with any water in it...mine's at 420 feet!  So, if I freak about running out of water, it's natural.  But I keep extra bottled water on hand for drinking and washing a few things, or my hands, so I don't need to panic...it's more like waking up to the problem on a quiet Saturday, and realizing I have to call the Well guy just so he will hit here first thing on Monday, or I would have to wait another few days to get my water back.  So I don't fuss over anything emergency based like that but the loss of my quietness.

And the same with my Greenhouse...there is little natural water falling on the ground...except in January and February, and then, not nearly as much all year usually as I got these past few weeks.  But without a cooler, the plants bake, and it's food, as well as possible future income for plant breeding, so I can't let it go quite so easily as I would normally.  

It's not like overtime, and a lot more like watering the cows...except they are plants in an artificial environment...I avoid doing much there except checking that it's all working. Everything is automated, and I have Solar so I don't have to have the electric work, which it often doesn't for no perceivable cause, and the rest of the time, it's just not a problem...until it is, and I have to deal, usually without anyone to help right away.

I have a dog and cat to water, and will soon have more dogs and am adding chickens, so it will be ever dicey in the event of problems, and there is only so much to prevent against. Still, I want to be guarding the Sabbath, and when I have to take a few hours out of the day, I hate it.  It took me years to master the sunset awareness, and getting the schedule running around Shabbat, rather than just running, but it is still hard...and I see relatively few people.  

But the studying, and listening to good Rabbi's, and reading, and the music...all wonderful, not that I have learned enough to have a day separated altogether.  I use what is in the Tanakh that is about Shabbat to tell me what to do and not do, and it's not all that much...but keeping my mind on Abba is what I want most, and to think his thoughts instead of my own, but that seems the hardest to understand...just not doing what is simply pleasurable seems to be making G-d a killjoy, and he's not.

Perhaps it is including Abba in everything that you do or think?  It is the only possibility I can see working for me.