Shabbos 24
“One might not light with burnt oil on a festival.”
Today’s reading continues the focus on light and includes a debate on what type of oil is appropriate to light our Sabbath lamps. Rabbi Tafron says it is olive oil, which is of the highest quality and the “most pleasant of oil.” He may have the means to buy his oil from a fancy specialty shop where it is wrapped in a decorative package that he can carry home flush with the feeling that he is displaying the proper deference to the Sabbath. If he is wealthy enough, he may have paid someone to retrieve the package.
Most of us these days are buying our oils from supermarkets while we stand in marked blue boxes six feet apart. The Rabbis tells us that is OK to honor the Sabbath in any way we can.
We are provided with a wonderful litany of oils that are deemed adequate for lighting our Sabbath lamps: sesame oil, nut oil, turnip oil, fish oil, gourd oil. Rabbi Yishmael warns that we may want to avoid lighting our lamps with tar because it smells bad and will pollute our homes with a pungent odor. Because we are living the entirety of our lives inside these days, it is probably best to avoid tar altogether.
We don’t need fancy oils to demonstrate respect and honor for what matters most, for learning, our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and ourselves; we need to make do with whatever we are able to scavenge from empty supermarket shelves. What matters is that we are doing the best we can and continuing to improvise and live our lives.
While I am working on my gratitude list I am also pining for what I miss while being holed up inside my one bedroom apartment in New York City: my twice-per day lattes (I am really craving a better cup of coffee than I can make with my Keurig at home), laying out my work clothes Sunday night (I am living in yoga clothes while working from home), taking the subway to work in the morning and wondering what stories are behind all those sleepy eyes, Friday night services at Romemu Synagogue, (online services are wonderful but not the same as having everyone together), getting a pedicure (my feet are dry and itchy), Sunday brunch with good friends (I hope my favorite places are able to weather the storm and open again), chatting with the guy behind the counter at my takeout lunch place, visiting my mother who lives in Philadelphia and not being so terrified to even go downstairs in my apartment building and retrieve packages and my mail. I realize that I am very privileged to still have a job and a nice place to live. I love this city and look forward to a time when it is open again for business. In meanwhile, I am working on my gratitude list and keeping my heart open for business.