Sabbath Manifesto: Slowing Down Live Since 2009

What if you’re a rabbi, priest, or imman? Just saying.

It's worth not just thinking about what counts as work/commerce, but asking why we may find it so hard to let go of it for one day a week. This piece, “Saturday Without My Wallet,” might be of interest (http://birmingham.skirt.com/essays/saturday-wit…) — among its observations:
“The very idea of not carrying a wallet frightened me. … Why did I crave this constant flow of small expenditures?”
“Money is a tool we use to make identity; it is something we use to assert our individual tastes and self-worth. It is also a symbol of independence. For many Americans, carrying a wallet is the most fundamental act of citizenship.”
“I do take pleasure in spending, just as I take pleasure in my work, but I don’t want either to define me totally. … . In the end—it took me several months to make the leap—I learned to go happily cashless on Shabbat. I learned to relish life within the confines of what I already owned and what I could have for free: my thoughts, my prayers, reading, singing, conversation, nature. For me, the restfulness of Shabbat comes from leaving off spending, even more than it comes from leaving off work. It is a pause that allows me to be at rest with my identity, instead of constantly seeking to define and redefine myself through a stream of mundane or adventurous purchases.
… This is not about spending less; it’s about getting in touch with your mind, your soul and the richness of the life you already have. For one day, you can let your identity rest on what you find in your own home and what you find within yourself. And then go back to the hurly-burly world of getting and spending, mindful of who you really are, with or without the cappuccino.”

some preachers/religious leaders etc extend their sabbath! it begins, of course, with the community at x time of y day of the week — but it can extend until 24 hours after they feel their “work” portion was completed. My mom, a pastor, always sabbaths well into Monday.

This one is truly difficult. First, as a Jewish professional (though not clergy) I often finding myself “working” on Shabbat. I've even found that poor planning on my part (or on someone else's part) have required me to engage in commerce on Shabbat in order to do my “work.” For five years, I worked as educator for a congregation whose supplemental religious school actually meets on Shabbat. The ostensible reason is that the congregation has shared sacred space with a Presbyterian church for over 40 years, and they use the school space on Sunday mornings. The reality is, many found their way to our school precisely because we held it on Shabbat and this fit in with their way of being Jewish. There were lines. I didn't discuss business that was commercial in nature on Shabbat (though I certainly did discuss matters related to the school that were not commercial in nature.) We found ways to finesse issues of money-handling (though not always successfully, and not always appreciated by the congregants, some of whom saw the barrier as artificial considering all the other things we did on Shabbat.)
It IS a slippery slope. I did find my own Shabbat practice becoming laxer and laxer, as I continued to find excuses to do things on Shabbat. Though I sometimes tried to have Shabbat on some other day, the reality is that this rarely worked for me. This is one area that, at least for me, is greatly affected by having a community to do it with. Jews (and others who observe a weekly Sabbath) are going to find themselves at a disconnect with our modern 24/7 society. Much easier to fight the irge to give in to the 24/7 mentality with a community than to do it alone.
That being said, as a Jewish Educator, I firmly believe that Jewish education should be available 24/7, and not 24/6.

24/6 … I like that. Thanks for the new vocabulary.

Have you ever read “Gates of Shabbat”? I think it might help you come to a conclusion that works for you.

I like the ideas in the manifesto and am enjoying the discussion in the comments. The manifesto fits well with the Buddhist principles of mindfulness that I seek to practice in my life.

The irony of having a special branded “cell phone sleeping bag” displayed for sale on this page and all the others does not escape me, however. Avoiding commerce on one day and then indulging in truly pointless consumption the other six days does not feel like a spiritual practice.

How about a sock, if you really need to keep your cell phone out of sight in order to avoid temptation? At one point many years ago I owned two or three books on simplicity, then realized how truly silly that was.

A “live lightly” day would cover several of the principles. If you bike or walk rather than drive you avoid the consumption of gasoline (what if your tank runs dry while you're out–can you avoid commerce then?), nurture your health, and get outdoors. You might also connect with loved ones if the family bikes or walks together.

I found your site through the Scott Belsky post you link below and was inspired by his piece to write one on biking as downtime. As with any spiritual practice, the point is to remove yourself from the things that distract so as to focus on the things that matter.

@BarbChamberlain

As photographer who shoots bar/bat mitzvahs, I guess my career designation is an oxymoron if I were to subscribe to this tenant. My rabbi once told me (he loves my images) that I’m “doing holy work.” So that’s good enough for me. I don’t usually take the shekels until after the evening party.