Summer Break

Does it make sense to take the summer off from organized religion just as you do from school? I’ve been thinking a lot about this recently, especially in light of the fact that our rabbis at Temple Micah pretty much turn the Shabbat morning services over to lay-persons during the summer.

The issue of attending services has always perplexed me. I grew up as a Presbyterian, where we went to multiple services on Sunday year around. There was no break for Sunday school in the summer. I’m sure there were many members who attended church services on Christmas and Easter, but they were not GOOD members.

When I married into Judaism, I found a completely different attitude. Some of the best and brightest Jews attend services only on the High Holy Days – Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. My husband explained that Judaism is a home-based religion that doesn’t demand attendance at services. It doesn’t require an intermediary to access God.

I keep asking myself what would happen if God took the summer off? What if he just let the sun stay in the sky and not set or stopped the seasons in their tracks? We mortals would definitely take notice! Does he then not notice if we become summer slackers?

I’ve been rethinking my own observance of Shabbat in light of my last two weeks. I didn’t attend services, but I made a point of stopping my normal routine and just relaxing in a way that felt so good. It’s a 24-hour break that leaves me recharged for another week. There definitely is something to this idea of making Shabbat different from the other days.

My ideas about religion are constantly evolving. I always have more questions than I have answers. I’ll continue to ponder summer observance of Shabbat, especially as I prepare to read from the Torah on July 15.