😎 HOW SHABBAT ARE YOU?
10 Questions to Test Your Shabbat IQ. No Rabbinic Degree or Hebrew required. No wrong answers… well, maybe one or two
1. What is Shabbat, anyway?
A. The Jewish version of airplane mode.
B. A time when you're supposed to stop working, stop worrying, stop rushing—and preferably stop pretending you actually enjoy all three.
C. The Jewish equivalent of taking your soul to the spa, except the spa is once a week and nobody makes you wear a cucumber on your eyes.
D. A weekly reminder that you are a human being, not a productivity app.
E. All the above.
Correct answer: E
Okay, maybe not literally all the above. But the basic idea is this: Shabbat isn't a punishment for surviving another week. It's a weekly invitation to stop, breathe, reconnect, be grateful, and remember what life is actually about.
2. You send someone a “Shabbat Shalom!” text. Congratulations, you have…
A. Earned 10 Jewish bonus points
B. Committed a serious Shabbat violation
C. Remembered Shabbat, reminded someone else to remember Shabbat, and potentially made someone smile, all before getting distracted by Instagram.
D. Made your Bubbe proud
E. Technically become your synagogue’s IT department
Correct answer: C, though D isn’t necessarily incorrect.
You fulfilled a mitzvah using the same device you normally use to order takeout and argue with strangers on Facebook.
3. It's Shabbat. You don't go to synagogue. You don't light candles. You don't eat gefilte fish. You take a drive and actually enjoy it. Did you just get Shabbat wrong?
A. Yes. Please report immediately to the nearest rabbi and surrender your Jewish membership card.
B. Only if the drive was less than 18 miles
C. Ask your grandmother. Then prepare to defend yourself.
D. No. Your Shabbat doesn’t have to look like someone else’s Shabbat. If the drive brings you peace, joy, rest, gratitude, and / or renewal, you may be onto something.
Correct answer: D
Shabbat isn’t a costume you have to wear correctly. It’s an invitation to find your own way to step off the merry-go-round.
4. What is Shabbat NOT supposed to be?
A. A weekly 24-hour audition for “Most Observant Jew.”
B. A giant game of “DON’T TOUCH THAT.”
C. A day when God looks down and says, “I hope you made a spreadsheet of everything you weren’t allowed to do.”
D. A day of restriction where you are required to avoid anything remotely enjoyable.
E. All the above.
Correct answer: E
Shabbat isn't supposed to make your world smaller. It's supposed to make your life bigger.
5. How long do you need to observe Shabbat for it to “count”?
A. 24 hours.
B. 12 hours and 1 second
C. Until you can juggle five Matzoh Balls.
D. Any amount of time. Even 24 seconds can be meaningful if you're intentional about it.
Correct answer: D
Yes, really. Twenty-four seconds. Judaism has officially entered the attention-span economy.
6. Which of these could literally be your Shabbat?
A. Watching a movie on TV.
B. Calling an old friend.
C. Meeting a friend for coffee.
D. Playing pickleball and pretending you weren't competitive about it.
E. All the above, or whatever makes you feel more human and less like a browser with 47 tabs open.
Correct answer: E
Apparently, Shabbat doesn't require you to sit on a couch staring meaningfully at a candle for 24 hours.
7. What is the most important ingredient in YOUR Shabbat?
A. Challah. Because apparently bread tastes holier when you braid it.
B. Candles. Preferably lit without setting off the smoke alarm.
C. Wine. Because grape juice has been carrying this team for too long.
D. A beautifully set table that makes your Instagram followers wonder if you’ve secretly become a different person.
E. Intention. Because Shabbat isn’t about getting the Jewish choreography exactly right.
F. All of the above—or none of them. The point is making space for whatever brings you peace, joy, rest, gratitude, and / or renewal.
Correct answer: E/F
The challah is wonderful. The candles are beautiful. The wine doesn't hurt. But the heart behind Shabbat matters more than getting the performance perfect.
8. Someone tells you, “You’re doing Shabbat wrong, that's not how I do Shabbat.” What's the appropriate response?
A. “Congratulations. It's not your Shabbat.”
B. “That's okay. It's not supposed to be.”
C. “Would you like to see my Shabbat? I made it myself.”
D. “Please wait while I consult the Shabbat Police in Brooklyn.”
Correct answer: B
Your Shabbat doesn't need to look like someone else's to be meaningful.
9. So, what exactly is Shabbat giving you?
A. Permission to get off the hamster wheel before it files a workers' comp claim.
B. The liberation to be more than your to-do-list.
C. Time to remember that your worth is not measured by how much you accomplished this week.
D. A weekly reminder that the world will, amazingly, continue spinning even if you stop spinning with it.
E. All the above.
Correct answer: E
Shabbat isn’t necessarily about doing less. It’s about doing less of what drains you—and more of what renews you.
10. FINAL QUESTION: What does Shabbat actually require of you?
A. 24 hours of flawless Jewishness.
B. A synagogue attendance record that would make your bubbe cry tears of nachas.
C. Knowing the difference between kiddush and kugel.
D. Intention. That's it. Even 24 seconds of it can matter.
E. A formal application, three references, and approval from the Shabbat Committee.
Correct answer: D
There is no Shabbat Committee.There are no Shabbat Police.There is you—and your decision to intentionally make some space for peace, rest, gratitude, joy and renewal, all in the name of honoring Shabbat, Judaism’s most cherished time.
That might be the most misunderstood thing about Shabbat.
🎉 YOUR TOTALLY SCIENTIFIC SCORE
0 CORRECT: SHABBAT? NEVER HEARD OF HER 🤔
You have somehow completed a Shabbat quiz without actually knowing anything about Shabbat. Honestly? Impressive.
1–2 CORRECT: SHABBAT? IS THAT A NEW APP? 🧐
You've heard of Shabbat. You may even have encountered someone who observes it. You're not quite ready to download it yet, but there's still hope.
3–4 CORRECT: SHABBAT SKEPTIC 🤨
You may have been traumatized by the idea that Shabbat is one giant list of “DON’Ts.” Good news: Exhale. There’s no official Shabbat Instruction Manual for your unique Shabbat!
5–6 CORRECT: SHABBAT CURIOUS 👀
You're beginning to suspect there might be more to Shabbat than rules, rituals, and wondering when you're allowed to check your phone again. Excellent instincts.
7–8 CORRECT: SHABBAT REBEL💡
AHHHHH! There it is. You've discovered the radical concept that Shabbat might actually be about freedom. Shabbat isn't about stopping life. It's about stopping long enough to actually experience it. It's a day when you're invited to start living differently.
Careful. You may never look at Saturday the same way.
9 CORRECT: SHABBAT SAVVY 🤓
Look at you! You're really getting it. You understand that Shabbat isn't one-size-fits-all. Neither are Jews. Neither should Shabbat be.
10 CORRECT: SHABBAT LIBERATION CHAMPION 🏆
Congratulations. You've cracked the Shabbat code. The heart behind Shabbat is all that matters. Your Shabbat might look different from someone else’s—and that’s kind of the point.
Shabbat is Judaism's most cherished time. We are called on to remember and observe it. Your weekly Shabbat Shalom text message fulfills remembering. Observing Shabbat can be misunderstood. It is not a day of restriction—it is a day of liberation. Every week we are given the opportunity to step off the merry-go-round, and embrace the peace, rest, and renewal Shabbat offers. What this looks like for you need not be what it looks like for someone else. Whatever brings you peace, joy, gratitude, and renewal, let it become your way of honoring Shabbat. All that is required is to be intentional. Whether for twenty-four seconds to send a Shabbat Shalom text or twenty-four hours devoted to rest, or anything in between. The heart behind Shabbat is what matters most.
🕊️ SHABBAT SHALOM!
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