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SHABBAT IS HERE. SOMETIMES SHABBAT IS YOUR SECOND WIND. IT'S THE PARTY AT THE END OF THE WEEK THAT YOU'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO. IT'S THE CHOCOLATE CAKE YOU TURNED DOWN ALL THOSE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES IN ANTICIPATION OF. BUT SOMETIMES SHABBAT IS LITERALLY REST. SHABBAT IS HERE THIS WEEK TO REMIND US THAT WE CAN STOP FOR A DAY. WE CAN SIT WITH THE TRUTH THAT HASHEM CREATED US AND WE ARE AS WE WERE MEANT TO BE. PEOPLE MIGHT BE SAYING OTHERWISE OR FAILING TO SAY SO BUT IT IS TRUE. I PROMISE YOUR EXISTENCE IS MORE THAN RESISTANCE: IT IS HOLY AND BEAUTIFUL. IT IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF CREATION. IT IS THE IMAGE OF SOMETHING WE CANNOT EVEN BEGIN TO CONCEIVE OF BECAUSE IT IS SO GORGEOUS AND POWERFUL. SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY CERTAIN FOLKS STARTED TO FORGET THAT WE ARE GREATER THAN THE ANGELS WE ASPIRE TOWARD AND WE STARTED ACTING LIKE PARTS OF US COULD BE WRONG OR UGLY. IT'S JUST PATENTLY UNTRUE. WE WERE CREATED IN THE LIKENESS AND FOR THE PURPOSE OF LOVE AND COMPANIONSHIP. ANYONE WHO SAYS OTHERWISE IS IN REBELLION OF THE TRUE NATURAL ORDER OF THINGS AND ALL WE CAN DO IS PRAY FOR THEM WHEN WE LIGHT OUR CANDLES AND DRINK OUR MILKSHAKES. I LOVE SHABBAT AND I LOVE YOU SO SO SO SO SO SO MUCH.

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SHABBAT IS HERE. FIND YOUR FRIENDS, HOLD THEM CLOSE. IF SHABBAT IS THE PENULTIMATE MOMENT OF CREATION THEN THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT MOMENT IS WHEN HASHEM DECLARES: IT IS NOT GOOD FOR PEOPLE TO BE ALONE. SHABBAT IS ABOUT BEING WITH ONE ANOTHER, RECOGNIZING THAT THE GREATEST GIFT WE WERE GIVEN WASN'T ECHIDNAS, ECHINACEA, OR ELECTRIC EELS, BUT COMPANIONSHIP. THERE'S A LOT TO LOVE ABOUT SHABBAT AND MARKING THE MAGNIFICENCE OF THE UNIVERSE EVERY SINGLE WEEK BUT DON'T LOSE SIGHT OF WHY WE ARE HERE. THE CHALLAH AND THE WINE AND THE COLD BREW ARE AMAZING BUT WE DO THESE THINGS TO FACILITATE CHERISHING EACH OTHER AND ALL THE POTENTIAL WE HAVE TO MAKE BEAUTIFUL THINGS TOGETHER. REGARDLESS OF HOW YOU THINK WE GOT HERE, WE ARE DEFINITELY ALL HERE AND WE HAVE THE INCREDIBLE POWER TO WARM AND COMFORT EACH OTHER. SHABBAT IS THE BEST DAY TO REMEMBER THAT AND RECOMMIT TO THE PEOPLE AND COMMUNITY AROUND YOU. I LOVE SHABBAT AND I REALLY TRULY LOVE YOU.

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SHABBAT IS HERE! I KNOW FOR A FACT WE ALL WORKED VERY HARD THIS WEEK. EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US HAD A BATTLE TO FIGHT AND WE SHOWED UP AND WE FOUGHT OUR VERY HARDEST. I'M SO PROUD OF YOU FOR MAKING IT TO SHABBAT. NOW IT'S TIME TO PUT DOWN YOUR SWORD JUST FOR A DAY. IT CAN BE HARD TO STOP FIGHTING, TO REST, WHEN YOU FEEL SO THREATENED, BUT THERE'S A REASON WE HAVE SHABBAT. IF YOU DON'T TAKE A NAP AND EAT SOME CHALLAH HOW WILL YOU BE STRONG ENOUGH TO FIGHT THE NEXT FIGHT THAT IS ON THE HORIZON? I HOPE YOU HEAR ME WHEN I SAY: I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO TAKE A SHOWER, TO PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY, TO CLOSE TWITTER, TO JUST LOOK AT YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR AND MARVEL AT WHAT A MIRACLE YOU ARE AND THAT YOU DID ENOUGH GOSH DANG IT. SHABBAT IS ABOUT SO MANY THINGS, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT SHABBAT IS ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF YOUR EXISTENCE. YOU ARE AN ENTIRE UNIVERSE CONTAINED IN AN AMAZING CHEMICAL VESSEL THAT IS DOING A MILLION THINGS AT ONCE AND YOU MATTER. NOW GO DRINK SOME WATER AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. IT'S THE DAY FOR THAT. I LOVE SHABBAT AND I LOVE YOU!

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SHABBAT IS HERE! FILL YOUR ICE TRAYS. DRINK YOUR WATER. REPLENISH YOUR POPSICLE HOARD. WEAR BREATHABLE CLOTHES, PREFERABLY COTTON. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. SHABBAT IS HERE AND IT IS YOUR DUTY TO STAY HYDRATED, COMFORTABLE, AND COOL. OXYGEN MASK PRINCIPLE APPLIES ON SHABBAT-- ONCE YOU ARE HYDRATED, COMFORTABLE, AND COOL, MAKE SURE YOUR NEIGHBOR IS TOO. SHABBAT IS ABOUT RESTING, BUT IT'S ALSO ABOUT KEEPING YOUR BLOOD FLOWING PROPERLY SO YOU CAN HAVE GREAT IDEAS AND NOT GET A HEADACHE ALSO SO YOUR PEE IS THE RIGHT COLOR. HAVE YOU EVER EVEN HAD COCONUT WATER? THIS SHABBAT IS A GREAT TIME TO EXPERIMENT WITH THAT SWEET STASH OF POTASSIUM. MAYBE INFUSE SOME WATER WITH MINT OR MELON OR LIME. THAT COULD BE FUN. MAKE GOOD CHOICES! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE SHABBAT!

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SHABBAT IS HERE! DRINK YOUR TEA! EAT YOUR SCONES! PRONOUNCE IT SKON THOUGH OR YOU WILL LOOK FOOLISH! AH YES! SHABBAT! A TIME FOR REALIZING LIFE GOALS AND ACHIEVING THEM. A TIME FOR LOOKING AT WHAT APPEARS TO BE THE BLADE OF A 5000 YEAR OLD AXE WHILE SOME OLDER BRITISH GENTLEMAN ENCOURAGES YOU TO HOLD IT. WHY NOT? THERE'S LIKE 20 MORE IN STORAGE. GO TO A DETECTIVE THEMED SPEAKEASY! RECOGNIZE THAT LADY FROM THE BBC! WHATEVER! YOU DO YOU! IT'S SHABBAT AFTER ALL! I LOVE SHABBAT AND I LOVE YOU!

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SHABBAT IS HERE! YOU THOUGHT IT WAS THURSDAY AND THEN YOU REALIZED NO! IT IS SHABBAT! YOU WILL THINK MANY THINGS ARE ONE WAY AND THEN THEY ARE ANOTHER OR BOTH OR SOMETIMES ONE WAY JUST THAT ONE WAY THAT ONE TIME. I LIKE THAT. I LIKE WHEN SHABBAT CATCHES ME BY SURPRISE AND REMINDS ME THAT THE WORLD AND CREATION ARE FLUID AND CHANGING. THE ONE THING WE ALL HAVE IN COMMON WITHOUT A DOUBT IS THAT WE ARE CHANGING IN SOME WAY AT ALL TIMES. NOW IT IS SHABBAT WHICH IT WASN'T BEFORE AND WON'T ALWAYS BE BUT THAT'S OK! IT'S GOOD EVEN! I LOVE SHABBAT AND I LOVE YOU!

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SHABBAT IS HERE! A DAY THAT WAS SET ASIDE TO MARK THE COMPLEX JOURNEY OF CREATION! THE WORLD IS SO MANY THINGS AT ONCE AND YOU ARE SO MANY THINGS AT ONCE! MAYBE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE SIMPLE AND LOGICAL, BUT IF SHABBAT HAS TAUGHT US ANYTHING IT'S THAT WE CAME FROM CHAOS AND ALL THAT WE ARE IS A TANGLED BRAID OF BREAD, DELICIOUS AND HARD TO REPLICATE PROPERLY. I KNOW IT FEELS LIKE YOU'RE TRYING TO HOLD SO MANY THINGS IN AT ONCE, YOU WANT TO BE A COHERENT CONCEPT BUT GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK. BE SOMETHING MESSY AND TRUE THIS SHABBAT. BE INCONSISTENT AND CONTRARY. EMBRACE THAT DISSONANCE IN YOURSELF AND KNOW IT'S PART OF HOW YOU WERE MADE! HUMANS ARE THE ONLY CREATURES THAT GET TO HAVE INTERNAL CONFLICT (EXCEPT MAYBE OCTOPUSES, UNCLEAR) SO LET'S LEAN INTO THAT TOGETHER. SHABBT IS A GREAT DAY TO THINK ABOUT WHY THAT IS THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO DISTILL YOURSELF. YOU DON'T HAVE TO CHOOSE. YOU CAN BE COMFORTABLE WITH HOW THINGS ARE BOTH DIFFERENT AND TOGETHER AND BEAUTIFUL ALL AT THE SAME TIME. AH PEOPLE ARE WEIRD AND DON'T MAKE SENSE AND I LIKE IT. I LOVE SHABBAT AND I LOVE YOU!

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SHABBAT IS HERE! WE ARE THE KEEPERS OF SHABBAT BUT SHABBAT KEEPS US TOO. THIS IS OUR MOST SPIRITUAL SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP. SHABBAT IS THE BRAZIL NUT TO OUR RED-RUMPED AGOUTI. WE GATHER OUR BOTTLES OF WINE, OUR CANDLES, OUR FRIENDS, OUR SPICES AND WE KEEP SHABBAT. THERE WILL BE A DAY, MAYBE EVEN THIS DAY, WHERE YOU WOKE UP TIRED AND YOU DRAGGED YOURSELF TO THE FINISH LINE. AND WHEN YOU GET HOME YOU WILL SEE ALL THE EXTRA BOTTLES OF WINE, ALL THE GREETINGS FROM THE FRIENDS THAT YOU HAVE GATHERED, ALL THE LONGING AND JOY THAT YOU HAVE CULTIVATED FOR OTHERS AND FOR SHABBAT AND YOU WILL REALIZE THAT SHABBAT HAS REMEMBERED YOU AND KEPT YOU TODAY. SHABBAT DOESN'T BELIEVE IN ONE WAY STREETS. NOT WHILE DRIVING AND NOT IN RELATIONSHIPS. I LOVE SHABBAT AND I LOVE YOU.

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SHABBAT IS HERE BUT THIS ONE IS softer. I used to tell my religious school students to think about Shabbat as their best friend from summer camp. The one they miss and cannot wait to be reunited with that summer. Your parents don't understand you and that it doesn't matter if you fold your clothes. Your math homework is dumb busy work and all you want is your bunk bed. Then suddenly your best friend surprises you with a visit in the middle of the year! Camp is early! You needed this so badly all week and here they are. Shabbat tells you to sit in your camping chair on the porch and watch the squirrels squabble and the fireflies flicker. Lay on your bed and listen to Phish and Guster and sigh contentedly. Catch up on all the things you and your friends have missed, even the silly little things that didn't actually matter but whatever that boy or girl you have a crush on is cute, your brother is driving you totally crazy, you're nervous about the future. Sing all the songs no one else will sing with you, that no one else appreciates. Rainbow Connection is an obvious choice, but even singing Birkat HaMazon is a wonderful release. It isn't that you're grateful for your food, though you are, especially that fresh challah, it's just a joy to be together with the people who accept your weird teenage self for all that it is. Shabbat is wearing flip flops and the squelch of the mud as it sucks your feet in and you don't care you'll be stained Georgia clay orange. Shabbat is the unmistakable sound of zipping up your rain jacket on the steps of your cabin when you see how dark the sky got. Shabbat is optional breakfast, and your pockets stuffed with muffins. Shabbat is falling asleep after lunch even though you're afraid you'll miss something. It's ok to rest, that's what the day is there for and there will be more days too. Shabbat can be the world to come that isn't yet here. The one where things make so much more sense and are beautiful. The surprises aren't really surprises, just the calendar of looked forward to events that sneak up on you like the camp play (it's the Wizard of Oz this year) or Yom Sport. You belong perfectly in a way you never knew you could. You love suddenly and truly and so much faster than ever before. Remember Shabbat. Remember all the good things that have come to you, the flash points in time where everything came together. You can always go back there. It never left. You can make it again on Shabbat. I love Shabbat and I love you.