The Hebrew term ''shabbaton'' ( he, שבתון) 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.
The concept of the sabbatical is based on the Biblical practice of '' shmita'' (sabbatical year), which is related to agriculture. According ...
. The concept of a sabbatical year (
shmita
The sabbath year (shmita; he, שמיטה, 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 ...
) 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.
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)
sabbatical
A sabbatical (from the Hebrew: (i.e., Sabbath); in Latin ; Greek: ) is a rest or break from work.
The concept of the sabbatical is based on the Biblical practice of '' shmita'' (sabbatical year), which is related to agriculture. According ...
.
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 ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical stori ...
(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.
See also
*
List of Jewish youth organizations
The following is a list of Jewish youth organizations.
{{Jewish education
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and ...
*
Shomer Shabbat
In Judaism, a person who is shomer Shabbat or shomer Shabbos (plural ''shomré Shabbat'' or ''shomrei Shabbos''; he, שומר שבת, "Sabbath observer", sometimes more specifically, "Saturday Sabbath observer") is a person who observes the mit ...
References
Shabbat
Hebrew words and phrases
{{Hebrew-lang-stub