When you have a full week of 6 full working days, Shabbat is the only day when I really can focus on serious reading on Judaism-related topics. I can also read more than 3-4 pages in a row in Hebrew and clean my mind from everything that during the week do not let me clearly consider more serious topics.
Thus, no business planning, no thoughts about the next trip to the other end of the town and any ideas about what I will do in the next hours after Shabbat will end. Just leaving the moment and let the future be on hold for a while, as being too busy with the present spiritual building.
As the Internet is offline for 25 hours, it is the only day of the week when I can read 1 book the day without interruption. No need to check my e-mails or to immediately look for some news on the web that will keep me busy online for couple of good hours.
My choice of books was the following:
Shabbat and electricity, by Rabbi L.Y. Halperin, an authority in this very sophisticated halakhic domain. It addresses a couple of interesting aspects related to electrical and electronic devices on Shabbat: closing and opening circuits on Shabbat, the Shabbat telephone, why, when and how to use an elevator, dishwashers on Shabbat, air conditioning and automatic doors or alarm systems. The book is a translation from a Hebrew version published by the prestigious Institute for Science and Halacha and this is perhaps the reason why there are some shortages in terms of fluency of the English version. However, it is a must have and most read kind of book for anyone interested in getting more practical insights about various chellenges of the modern life to the old rules of Shabbat.
Following the same line, my next book was Halachah and Medicine Today an interesting translation of excerpts of articles published on this topic in Halacha U'Refuah. The translations are good and you can have a full picture of all the opinions on a certain topic. There are articles signes by respectable rabbis, such as R. Ovadia Yosef shlita, R. Moshe Feinstein, R. Halperin from the previous collection of articles, R. Yehoshua Neuwirth, or the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The titles of some of the articles: blood tests on Shabbat for neonatal jaundice, taking blookd and giving injections on Shabbat, accompanying a patient to hospital on Shabbat, the observant physician and Shabbat.
Just in order to be encouraged to continue my diversified menu of books, I ended up with One thing I ask, by Rabbi Hillel Fendel. Most probably, any well trained bochur know the answers to most of the questions - for instance, 'Where do we find complete passages from the Torah in the tefilah?', 'Which verse from Psalms do we recite the most often in our prayers?' or 'Which passages must be repeated if not said with the proper intention and devotion?'. However, it was not my case in over 98% of the cases. The book is organized with a section of questions, followed by the detailed answers, written in a very simple and concise way. The main topics are: hallel and rosh chodesh, Torah reading, blessings, morning prayers, Shmoneh Esrei, Halakhah, numbers.
A good start for a week of light!
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