Shabbat, the Jews, and Charlie Kirk

It has become common to view Shabbat on a number of levels. Yet, no matter how you do so, one question remains uncomfortable: the Talmud states that the non-Jew who observes Shabbat deserves death. This is by no means to say that they are prosecutable, but rather to say that by observing a Shabbat the way a Jew would is in some sense a mortal crime. How or why could that be?

There are two lenses through which Shabbat is viewed, universalistic and particularistic. In brief, here they are:

1.  The universal level is based on the text at the beginning of Genesis that presents Shabbat as the day that G-d ceased to create the world. Jewish texts, particularly the prayers and Kiddush on Friday night, reiterate that theme – one observes Shabbat in recognition of the way G-d created the world. On this level, all humanity ought to recognize the divine in the world we live in, both as Creator and as an ongoing presence. Also, that recognition can entail actions, verbalizations, and thoughts that reflect that awareness. One could argue that Christians on Sunday and Muslims on Friday do exactly that. Modern iterations of this idea include a “tech-free day,” a day spent in meditation and relating to other people one on one, and other ways of resisting the incursions of modernity. This could be done on an individual level or a community level. Examples of people who have thought in these terms are Harvey Cox (who as a Protestant theologian saw the beauty of the day but thought it impossible to do on a communal level in modern times) and Charlie Kirk. Both pointed to secular and religious orientations – but the popular format in our day of our tech-free day is both universalistic and secular.
2. The particularistic level depicts the uniquely Jewish quality of the day. This level reflects the covenant between G-d and Israel and reminds Jews of the connection through the many commandments that recall the experience of slavery, being freed from slavery, and the ethical demands such memory inspires. It is both a building block and an ongoing facet of Judaism that preserves and honors the relationship between G-d and Israel. This connection is reinforced by prayers, Kiddush, and several other observances done on the day.

And yet – none of this can justify why it is so inappropriate for a non-Jew to observe the Shabbat as would a Jew, much less to say that it is a mortal fault. To understand this, we need to go to the third level of understanding.

Examine Midrash Bereishit Rabbah 11:8 that portrays the Shabbat and Israel to be a match made in Heaven; i.e. that they were made for each other: 

 דָּבָר אַחֵר, לָמָּה בֵּרְכוֹ, רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה וְרַבִּי דוֹסְתָּאי וְרַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָן. רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה וְרַבִּי דוֹסְתָּאי אוֹמְרִים שֶׁאֵין לוֹ בֶּן זוּג, חַד בְּשַׁבַּתָּא, תְּרֵי, תְּלָתָא, אַרְבַּעְתָּא, חַמְשָׁא, עֲרוּבְתָּא, שַׁבַּתָּא לֵית לָהּ בֶּן זוּג. רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָן אָמַר שֶׁאֵינוֹ נִדְחֶה, יוֹם טוֹב נִדְחֶה, יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים נִדְחֶה, שַׁבָּת אֵינָהּ נִדְחֵית. תָּנֵי רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחָאי, אָמְרָה שַׁבָּת לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם לְכֻלָּן יֵשׁ בֶּן זוּג, וְלִי אֵין בֶּן זוּג. אָמַר לָהּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל הִיא בֶּן זוּגֵךְ. וְכֵיוָן שֶׁעָמְדוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי הַר סִינַי אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא זִכְרוּ הַדָּבָר שֶׁאָמַרְתִּי לְשַׁבָּת, כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל הִיא בֶּן זוּגֵךְ, הַיְנוּ דִּבּוּר (שמות כ, ח): זָכוֹר אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְשׁוֹ. 

Another interpretation: Why did He bless it [Shabbat]? Rabbi Berekhya and Rabbi Dostai and Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman, Rabbi Berekhya and Rabbi Dostai say: It is because it does not have a partner. Sunday has Monday [as its partner], Tuesday has Wednesday, Thursday has Shabbat eve. But Shabbat has no partner. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: It [the blessing of Shabbat] is in that it cannot be postponed. Festivals may be postponed, Yom Kippur may be postponed, but Shabbat cannot be postponed.

Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai taught: Shabbat said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, all of them [the other days] have partners, but I do not have a partner.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to it: ‘The congregation of Israel is your partner.’ When Israel stood before Mount Sinai, the Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘Remember the matter that I said to Shabbat: The congregation of Israel is your partner.’ That is the meaning of the statement in the Ten Commandments: “Remember the Shabbat day to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8).

Shabbat is meant to be the intimate match of Israel, so to speak its spouse. A marriage relationship has certain rules and expectations; intimacy has special private demands and benefits. In a quality marriage, when one partner is gone, missing, in the army, away at work, etc., the other partner feels what is missing intensely. Similarly, the Jews without Shabbat, and the Shabbat without Jews, are two lonely souls.

A connected aspect of this sort of relationship is that it is an exclusive relationship. When this sort of relationship is built, it is meant not only to be enjoyed but to create offspring that will reflect and continue from where the parents left off. The intent is that the values of the parents will survive, be fortified and enhanced in the future. In this case the terms of the values lead to a lasting relationship with G-d. The observances of the day are there just like the details of a human spousal relationship, as the nitty gritty and substance that spell out the lasting relationship. Any critical threat to the relationship is dangerous. When a third party becomes involved, it is akin to adultery. The Midrash points to the need to take the vitality of the relationship to heart. If G-d wants Israel and Shabbat to be partners through history and for the sake of the world – then that marriage is worth the utmost seriousness. And so here, the quasi-adulterous destruction of the marriage of Israel to Shabbat (at least metaphorically) demands this severe penalty.

So, should a non-Jew want to keep the Shabbat like a Jew, as a Jew? Wouldn’t anything less fall short of relating to the Creator? Charlie Kirk answered the question himself. Although he aspired to create a Shabbat-like atmosphere, he did not feel bound to observe the Shabbat as an observant Jew would. He limited his activities but did not take on a regimen that was foreign to himself. He might aim to stay off his phone, limit his tech, but make exceptions to watch an enticing football game. Occasionally, he would travel and reach out to people on Saturdays, in accordance with the public role he took that demanded availability. He would try to compensate for doing so but never saw it as a day to forbid all artificial activities, always and without exception. This sort of approach is in line with what Judaism might encourage, one that moves humanity closer to recognition of and relationship to the Divine. One could, if when felt so moved, convert to Judaism and take on the obligations of a Sabbath Jew. But there is no need to be moved to that.

To sum up, Shabbat is important to the world, but has a unique relationship to the Jewish people that makes it the guardian of Shabbat throughout history. It is best for all humanity, Jew and non-Jew, to understand the universal, particularistic, and intimate modes of this relationship. It is critical to understand all three modes to realize the potential Shabbat grants all people in our day.