It wasn’t the rules and prohibitions that
transformed Shabbat into the iconic
Jewish experience. It was its simple
yet ingenious emphasis on the social:
A community taking a break and
celebrating life together. In this,
Shabbat cuts to the core of Jewish values
and announces itself as perhaps the
primary distinguishing element
between Judaism and every other major
religion. As Abraham Joshua Heschel
put it, “It is a day for praise, not a day
for petitions.”

— MICHAEL H. STEINHARDT