Summary:
Celebrating Shabbat gives Jews a sense of belonging, purpose and a reason things. Going to the synagogue and the rituals in the home brings the whole Jewish community together and makes them feel united as one.
Orthodox Jews lives are affected more than reform Jews by Shabbat. It is simpler for reform Jews as they are allowed to 'ignore' certain rules or melachot that they believe are outdated.
I am going to look more at how Shabbat affects Orthodox Jews .
To start Orthodox Jews will do a lot of preparation before Shabbat actually begins for example tidying, cleaning, making the challot...etc. Employers need to be understanding towards this and schools have to realise the need of Jewish children to get home promptly as possible on a Friday as this means they have to leave work/school earlier than usual.
The mother of a household has a very big responsibility in preparing for Shabbat. She must light the candles just before sunset ready to beckon Shabbat into their household. The household must be ready for this special guest (Shabbat).
On a Friday night as Shabbat begins, male Jews, and sometimes females, have to attend the synagogue, but they must walk as it the Torah the melachot states that it is forbidden to carry anything from a private place to a public place (therefore they cant drive). This could be a hard law to follow, depending on how far away you live from a synagogue.
When Jews are in the home, the melachot forbids them to turn lights on or off (can not light a fire or put a fire out) so any lights that need to be on have to stay on from the beginning, till the end of Shabbat.
Jews are also forbidden to work on Shabbat. This means that Jews have to be organised and disciplined to stick to this rule.
Really to be an Orthodox Jew, living a fully religious life, I think you need to live in a community of Jewish people. Your job needs to be flexible and it will be as nobody has to understand about why you would have to leave early because they would be in the same position. If they don't live in a Jewish community it could be a problem as some children find it difficult and embarrassing to be different from their peers. Often they are an easy target for bullying, this could make them not want to be Jewish anymore. Also the fact that Jewish children of the ages of 15-16 may be studying for their G.C.S.E's in this country and this could mean that they lose out on study, visits...etc...which are arranged over the weekend.
Some Jewish children will have to have a different routine to their friends as they cant take part in sport activities, special occasions (parties etc) or have a weekend job during Shabbat. I think that older Jewish children could find it hard to stick to the rules of their religion as most teenagers like to spend a lot of time with their friends at weekends. It's a time when you can do what you want within reason and who you want to do it with. Obviously Jewish children can not do this as they see Shabbat as a very important and valuable time to spend with family and so there are many matters to consider.
I have mentioned a few things that Jews can not do during Shabbat. However there is a total of 39 melachot that Jewish people have to observe. Many of them we would think of as normal, everyday things in life, so I imagine its hard to stick to this.
I think that Shabbat can influence women more than men in some cases. A lot of strain is put on the woman. They have to do the preparation for the meal for Shabbat and welcome Shabbat into the home. Males also have to learn kiddush (sanctification) for them to be able to recite it in the home after attending the synagogue on Friday night. Then on Saturday they also have to go to the synagogue for afternoon prayers then they often study till nightfall. There is often the feeling with Judaism that men need more spiritual guidance and that women are naturally closer to God.
When Shabbat has ended Jewish men have to attend the synagogue for the rabbi to perform havdalah (separation) which the males have to perform when they arrive home. Shabbat is demanding of both time and commitment.
Although there are some disadvantages as to Shabbat being performed there are many advantages to it too. Many families are so busy they never spend enough time together, even sit down for a meal and a chat once a week, but on Shabbat the family sit together and just enjoy each others company without any interruptions like the television or the phone ringing. Jews learn how to enjoy being together as a family. Also when children are involved in this it is a time for learning. Whilst eating the Shabbat meal, stories are told and the family will sit and talk. it's a fun way of ensuring the continuation of Jewish tradition.
Celebrating Shabbat gives Jews a sense of belonging, purpose and a reason things. Going to the synagogue and the rituals in the home brings the whole Jewish community together and makes them feel united as one.
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