Expanding the Boundaries of Home

Shabbat is about holy and sacred time—but it is also about space. In contrast to the adventures of the rest of our weeks, on Shabbat that space is the home. Freed from the obligation to travel, we are granted the opportunity to settle in and more fully appreciate our immediate surroundings. We connect more deeply with the members of our household. We take time to savor our food. Staying home is an essential part of the power of Shabbat. On Shabbat we are given the opportunity to be at home, fully at rest, on both a spiritual and also physical level. Massekhet Eruvin, the third tractate of the Talmud, can be read as one long meditation on the concept of being home on Shabbat.