10 January 2025
Question
I can’t get my head around the rules of Shabbos. It’s supposed to be a day of rest, no? So how can you relax while worrying about breaking some law or another, like opening a packet of chips the wrong way, or accidentally touching the light switch? My vision of a day of rest is sitting on the couch watching the cricket. Or even playing a game of it myself. But then I might rip some grass and that’s considered ploughing…
Answer
You make a good point. What you're saying makes a lot of sense. So maybe you can help me knock some sense into a new friend of mine.
This fellow recently arrived from South America. He heard that Australians are cricket mad, and had never heard of the game before. He asked me to explain what cricket is in simple English.
So I tried to give over the basics of the game, like this:
A guy stands at one end of a rectangular patch of dirt, which is called a wicket. In his hands he holds a smooth plank of wood, called a bat. He is called the batsman.
Behind the batsman, on the edge of the wicket, are three sticks stuck in the ground. These sticks are also called wickets.
At the other end of the rectangle is another player, called the bowler, who holds a cork ball covered in red leather. He runs up and hurls the ball towards the first guy.
Note: he is not allowed to throw the ball. He must keep his arm straight as he releases it. And he must be standing behind a line. If he crosses the line before releasing the ball, the other team gets a point.
He is trying to hit the wickets (that is, the three sticks) with his ball. If he does, the batsman is out. Which is called a wicket.
So the batsman tries to stop that happening by hitting the ball with his plank, the bat. But the plank holder has to be careful. If he hits the ball in the air, it could get caught by other players spread around the field. If they catch the ball, he is out. That is also called a wicket.
On the other hand, if he is not caught, he can run to the other end of the rectangle, and that scores him one point. But he’d better be quick, because if the ball is returned to the three sticks before he reaches the other end then he is out, without scoring the point.
Another important thing: if the ball hits the plank guy’s leg in such a way that, had he not been standing there, the ball would have hit the wickets (the three sticks), then he is out (a wicket). Unless of course the ball first bounced on the wicket (that is, the patch of dirt) not in line with the wickets (the three sticks). Then it is not a wicket. If you know what I mean.
By now my friend was completely bewildered. He couldn't believe grown adults actually do this. He started asking questions:
So you’re telling me that people enjoy throwing leather-bound cork balls at sticks with a guy holding a plank standing in the way?
And if the idea is to have fun, why all the rules? How does the bowler’s arm being straight or bent enhance the experience? Why should the batsman have to worry about being caught?
It was at that point that I said, “Forget this. Just come to the park and we’ll play. You’ll see it is fun.”
When spoken in abstract, the rules of the game sound technical, pedantic and quite boring. But when playing it in real life, it just works. Like notes in a symphony, on paper they are plain black and white. But when you play it, it comes alive.
What’s true of cricket is also true of Shabbos. The rule book sounds intense, extremely detailed and not much fun at all. But when you live the experience of Shabbos, those rules are notes in a symphony. They create a mood and a mindset, an atmosphere of sacred rest and a space for inner rejuvenation. The power of the Shabbos laws cannot be explained. You just have to try it.
There is no word to describe the feeling of keeping Shabbos properly. So what do we do when we don’t have the right word? I guess we just call it a wicket.
