You can tell it's the eve of a Shabbat or holiday
in Israel by the numerous
flower stands that spring up all over the country.
There are flower stands on
sidewalks, in candy stores, in bus stations,
and in the middle of highways.
This past month was a particular busy one for
the flower sellers. Not only
were they open for business on the usual Fridays
(Sabbath eves), but there
were at least four holiday eves as well. Flowers
in Israel are an excellent
bargain. A nice bouquet costs 10 shekels, and
beautiful floral arrangements
can be yours for the modest price of 20 shekels
(slightly under $5).
Partly because of their abundance and reasonable
cost, flowers
are the standard gift to bring to a Shabbat
table. Of course, the tranquillity
that flowers provide makes them all the more
appealing in a society that is
often beset by political turmoil.
The prevalence of flower sellers on Fridays is
another reminder to me that to
some extent almost all Israelis observe Shabbat.
Flowers are a way to mark out
special time. What people choose to do with
this time varies widely, but all
those flowers on Israeli Fridays signal to any
observer that there is some
out-of-the-ordinary time ahead. Indeed, on Friday
nights almost all Israeli
Jews do mark the Shabbat--by a festive meal
with family and friends.
One of the radio stations has a weekly five-minute
spot on Friday afternoons
where they call up an Israeli woman and ask
her what she is serving for
Shabbat dinner (which she then describes in
mouth-watering detail).
It is apparently taken for granted by the radio
station (one of the major
stations in Israel) that having Shabbat dinner
is something common to all
Israelis.
On Saturday proper, many Israelis keep the basic
biblical injunction
prohibiting work in that they are not engaged
in earning a livelihood.
And it's remarkable to find in this media mecca
that the country can get
along quite well without a Saturday newspaper
(though many Israelis do
buy two or three of the expanded Friday newspaper
editions).
Israeli society uses Shabbat to refresh itself.
In this it is in perfect keeping with the biblical
description of the first Sabbath,
where God, it is said, "ceased from work and
was refreshed" ("shavat
va-yinafash"). Like many people throughout the
world, Israelis see a benefit
in taking one day a week off from their usual
work routine, and even secular
Jews in Israel find that the most appropriate
day of the week for Jews to do
this is on Shabbat.
This brings me back to those flowers on Fridays.
While it is true that there are
many different activities that people engage
in on Shabbat, there are not too
many ways to buy flowers (the main variable
here being one's willingness to
"bargain"). The standard international
procedure in this case is: you see a
flower stand, you approach the stand, you ask
the prices, pick out a bouquet,
have it wrapped, make your payment, and go on
your way. Only, if you are
in Israel something magical happens towards
the end of this process:
one party will say "Shabbat Shalom" and the
other will answer in kind.
This makes all the difference in the world,
for with "Shabbat Shalom,"
it is possible to experience Friday flower-buying
in Israel as a national
religious act.
And this indeed is how I experience it.
Teddy Weinberger
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