Inspiring Children to Keep Shabbos

When Jews first immigrated to America, they would have to find a new job every week, because every Shabbos they were fired for observing the Jewish Day of Rest.
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein said that many parents who lived like this said "As s'iz shver tzu zein a Yid.", translated as "Oy, it is very difficult to be a Jew." As a result, children forsook their parents' ways and stopped observing the Sabbath.
So what is the key to observing the Sabbath in a way that one's children will be inspired? The Divrei Emunah states, "Let no one think that the sanctity of day could be perceived only by the righteous of the earlier generations. Rather, in all generations - even ours - a Jew can merit to perceive the day's loftness if he prepares properly." Shabbos is not just for respite from the workweek. It is meant for spiritual striving.

- Adapted from The Sabbath by Artscroll, 1990 pp. 48-49


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