A First in Jewish History?

Answer

It is hard to overstate how unusual this is.

For most of Jewish history, world leaders did not encourage Shabbat. They outlawed it.

The Greek and Roman empires banned Jewish observance. The Spanish Inquisition searched Jewish neighbourhoods on Shabbat, looking for chimneys without smoke, a sign the family wasn’t cooking. Under the Soviet regime, keeping Shabbat could cost a Jew his job, his education, his freedom, sometimes even his life.

And yet Jews still kept Shabbat.

They hid candlesticks in basements and whispered Kiddush behind closed curtains. They were fired every Monday because they refused to work on Saturday. They fought just for the right to switch off their phones, long before phones were even invented.

And now, the leader of the most powerful nation on earth is publicly praising Shabbat observance.

No, that is not normal Jewish history.

But there is a precedent. The Persian king Cyrus encouraged the rebuilding of the Temple and the restoration of Jewish life. Isaiah even called him “Moshiach Hashem,” G-d’s anointed, a title usually reserved for Jewish kings.

That doesn’t mean Cyrus was secretly Jewish. Nor does it mean every politician who likes Jews is the Messiah. Let’s stay calm here.

But you have to appreciate the incredible irony. The same world that once tried to crush the Jew for the crime of resting is now looking at its own burnout, screen-addiction, and anxiety, and saying: "Actually, maybe those Jews are onto something..."

Of course, the real question is not whether the President appreciates Shabbat. The real question is: do we? Because imagine if the nations of the world recognize the beauty of Shabbat before the Jews do.

Our grandparents sacrificed comfort, careers and sometimes even their lives to preserve this gift. They held onto Shabbat because they knew that without it, a Jew eventually forgets who he is. They were willing to suffer for keeping Shabbat. They could never have dreamed of a day when a world leader would publicly encourage it.

Wherever Moshiach is, he must be smiling.