To Connect with Others
Though Shabbat affords amazing opportunities for individual rest and renewal, it is very much a communal experience. Many Shabbat prayers as well as the Shabbat Torah reading can’t be said in isolation, but are recited in a minyan, a quorum of ten.
Traditional Shabbat meals are enjoyed around a table with friends and family. This communal experience of Shabbat is wonderful for the individual, creating a buffer against isolation and loneliness.
But it also strengthens the larger community, reliably bringing members together on a regular basis.