There’s a new movement afoot to restore the Sabbath, and it’s coming from a group of Jewish artists. A think tank called Reboot is behind the “Sabbath Manifesto,” a campaign encouraging people to take the seventh day of the week as a day of rest:
Way back when, God said, “On the seventh day thou shalt rest.” The meaning behind it was simple: Take a break. Call a timeout. Find some balance. Recharge.
Somewhere along the line, however, this mantra for living faded from modern consciousness. The idea of unplugging every seventh day now feels tragically close to impossible…
Orthodox. Faithful. Free.
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The Sabbath Manifesto was developed in the same spirit as the Slow Movement, slow food, slow living, by a small group of artists, writers, filmmakers and media professionals who, while not particularly religious, felt a collective need to fight back against our increasingly fast-paced way of living. The idea is to take time off, deadlines and paperwork be damned.
This past weekend, from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown, Reboot announced a National Day of Unplugging (NDU) to launch the Sabbath Manifesto. They encouraged people around the country to unplug — no computers, cell phones, or technology — for 24 hours. This three minute video is an interesting glimpse into just how difficult unplugging really is for most people today.
The project is not particularly religious, and the emphasis is on getting away from technology and spending time with loved ones. Still, this is an positive trend, and I hope it catches on.