Shabbat is many things, but relaxing is not always one of them. Even if all the food preparations have been completed before sundown on Friday, eating three seudot (meals), hosting guests or just being guests, and trying to get a family out the door to synagogue, can feel like a bit much in a 25 hour period. Especially after five or six days of work. Even if you didn’t spend them creating the world.
Last Sunday, I posted on the homeshuling Facebook page that I had spent the entire shabbat in my pajamas. I’ve never gotten so many “likes” in such a short amount of time. (Funny how “like” always seemed like such a tepid endorsement until Facebook.) Apparently, it’s an idea whose time has come.
So here’s a simple how-to for a Pajama Shabbat
1. Light candles
2. Get in (cozy) pajamas
3. Stay in (aforementioned cozy) pajamas
4. Make havdallah
5. Get dressed. Or change into new (cozy) pajamas.
We also ate, and we played with some of the games and puzzles my girls received for Hanukkah. But most of the day, my girls played one of their marathon make believe games (six hours of Katie Kazoo), and I read about half of Jonathan Franzen’s latest novel. Half a novel!
I wouldn’t choose a pajama shabbat every week. I get that there are a lot of have-to’s that we didn’t do. But we definitely captured the essence of the day:
And on the seventh day, God rested and re-souled -וביום השביעי שבת וינפש
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