The Shabbat Amidah contains a most peculiar phrase. In the middle blessing, which notes the sanctification of Shabbat, we ask G-d to “find favor in our rest,” referring to the blissful, tranquil rest that Shabbat offers. A treat for us, to be sure, but why should that find any favor before G-d. Wouldn’t we expect G-d to find favor in what we do, rather than in our not-doing?
Perhaps I can explain with a story. Once upon a time, I had to drop my kids at school in East Brunswick, and then drive to Princeton for an appointment with my spiritual director. As anyone who lives in New Jersey knows, no roads just go from here to there. There were endless crisscrosses on the route, with a red light or a stop sign on a congested corner at every one of them. I arrived at my spiritual direction session 15 minutes late, huffing and puffing and exuding road rage hormones. I threw myself down in a chair, and barked at my spiritual director: “Why did G-d make stop signs??”
And she, an island of calm in the storm, serenely suggested, “Well, Robert, maybe G-d wants you to stop.”
The Lord does not merely work in mysterious ways. The Lord talks that way, too. From that moment to this, I never experienced road rage again.
G-d does indeed want us to stop—in traffic, to be sure, but particularly on Shabbat. It is an act of deep spirituality. However, people often make the mistake of thinking that our stopping on Shabbat is for the purpose of contemplating G-d’s creation, or celebrating our freedom from both oppression and labor (reflecting the themes of Shabbat mentioned in the two versions of the 4th Commandment). We are indeed commanded to do both of these things, but true rest is not simply for the purpose of changing to a new to-do list. Rest means….rest. Complete rest. No tasks, no thoughts, however noble. Just…rest.
The prayer continues by asking G-d to “sanctify us through Your commandments” and “make Your Torah our portion.” So there is indeed sacred doing, and sacred learning. But we must never forget that there is also sacred being.
So just stop, if only for a few moments that last unto eternity.