A Day Apart: Shabbat at Home

by Noam Zion, Shawn Fields-Meyer

A step-by-step guidebook to the Jewish Sabbath, with blessings and songs, rituals and reflections, stories and lots of art. Full color; designed to work both for beginners and for already-knwledgeable Jews who want to deepen their understanding of Shabbat practices.

Genres: Judaism, Jewish

168 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2004

About the author

Noam Sachs Zion was born to American parents fighting in the Hagana in Jerusalem in 1948. He grew up in an egalitarian Conservative rabbi's home in Minneapolis and studied general philosophy at Columbia in the late sixties. He was a member of the New York Havurah and was sent by the Israeli consulate to the USSR in 1968 to make contact with Soviet Jews (where after two months the KGB accused him of spying and expelled him). During the Yom Kippur War he made aliyah and then taught for Young Judea, WUJS, Habonim, HUC and Pardes.
Since 1978 he has studied and taught at the pluralist Shalom Hartman Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies, headed by Rabbis David and Donniel Hartman. He has served as coordinator of the Russian Scholars program, of the Teacher Inservice Training Program, of the TICHON educator center for North American Jewish day school faculty and the Christian Leadership Institute of AJC-Hartman for senior theologians. He teaches in the rabbis' enrichment programs and the Beeri educators' program

Reviews

[Lisa Feld · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the rare times I’ll give five stars to a book where I am not the intended audience. I grew up in a home where Shabbat was a major way my family expressed love for each other, so nothing in this book was a surprise to me. But for people who are taking on this practice, or trying to find a more positive way to engage with it, this is a great resource. It goes from preparation through the ending havdalah ceremony in manageable bites, blending modern and ancient sources to discuss what you need to do, some different ways to engage emotionally and intellectually with each practice, how to include children and/or get your family to try things out. The sources include writings by male and female authors from across the spectrum of Jewish practice, as well as modern illustrations and classical art. I particularly appreciated that the book included both ways to engage with some of the gendered traditions around Jewish practice and ways to disrupt them while still embracing the tradition. Also, for people who are not used to spending time focused on family and friends in a sacred way without outside distractions, the book includes conversation prompts, study topics, and games/music suggestions.

While there are some elements my family does differently, I would absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for a meaningful way into Sabbath observance.

[Margaret Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

One really cold Shabbat in Chicagoland (-11 real temp) when no one was going out and we did services on Zoom, I picked up again, A Day Apart since everyone would be celebrating or observing Shabbat at home. Compiled and edited by the same person who did A Different Night, a haggadah that I love, this is a treasure trove of interesting material for a whole day at home. It is jam packed with learning and exercises and things you can do--or ways to sleep and enjoy Oneg Shabbat, the pleasure of Shabbat, the joy. I pulled a few teachings showed everyone the book and have savored it for the rest of the month. Every time I pick it up I learn something new or relearn something.
Bonus: The contributors, many of whom I know personally, come from a range of Jewish tradition: Orthodox, Reform, Reconstructing, Renewal, American, Israeli and beyond. Great for my fiercely independent congregation. And great for anyone who is feeling stuck at home. Our homes really can be our sacred spaces.
Second Bonus: The artwork is fabulous. Worth the price alone.

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended this one before I even finished it. Good for an intro, filled with great quotes and stories, and worth reading for a refresher for someone who hasn't been observant since childhood and has an interest in getting back to it. I particularly like that there's a variety of voices, not just focused on one tradition or denomination. Nothing that was really new to me, but it was laid out in a very readable format. I'd recommend it again.