__FORCETOC__ The term ''shabbaton'' () may be translated into English to mean

sabbatical A sabbatical (from the Hebrew: (i.e., Sabbath); in Latin ; Greek: ) is a rest or break from work; "an extended period of time intentionally spent on something that’s not your routine job." The concept of the sabbatical is based on the Bi ...

. The concept of a sabbatical year (

shmita The sabbath year (''shmita''; , literally "release"), also called the sabbatical year or ''shǝvi'it'' (, literally "seventh"), or "Sabbath of The Land", is the seventh year of the seven-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah in the Lan ...

) has a source in several places in the Bible (e.g. Leviticus 25), where there is a commandment to desist from working the fields in the seventh year.

Use in Israel

In contemporary Israel, when one takes a ''shabbaton'', one takes the year off in search of other pursuits. It is an extended rest from work, a hiatus, typically 2 months plus. This period is called (a)

Use in English-speaking countries

In English-speaking countries, the term ''shabbaton'' is often employed to mean an event or program of education, and usually celebration, that is held on a

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...

(Jewish sabbath). Sometimes a shabbaton is an entire weekend with the main focus on the Shabbat. Many communities have such events, including youth groups, singles groups, synagogues, schools, social groups, charitable groups or even family reunions. These events can be multi-generational and wide open, or limited to a small specific group. A ''shabbaton'' can be held where a group usually meets, or at an off-site location. By calling such a program a ''shabbaton'', rather than just a " retreat", one signifies recognition of the importance of Shabbat in the event or program.

References

Shabbat Hebrew words and phrases {{Hebrew-lang-stub

Use in Israel

Use in English-speaking countries

See also

References