Lee Biran on Shabbat: “It’s a Gift, the Source of Blessing”

Israeli actor and musician Lee Biran has been growing more spiritually observant in recent years. Recently, he shared how he blessed his son, Nevo, after the boy put on tefillin, and this was not the first time Biran has spoken openly about his spiritual journey.

In an interview with Israel Hayom, Biran spoke about his decision not to work on Shabbat and the meaning the day has taken on in his life.

“What makes me happiest and gives me optimism is the fact that the Festigal doesn’t operate on Shabbat, and I don’t work on Shabbat. Having Friday night and Shabbat until Shabbat ends is a whole world.”

“That Is Our Role: To Do”

Biran shared an insight about Shabbat that he learned from Rabbi Shai Piron.

“Shai Piron, one of the smartest and most beloved people in the world to me, taught me that in Friday night Kiddush, we say, ‘For on it He rested from all His work that Hashem created...’ Up to that point, the entire sentence is in the past tense, and then it says in the future tense, ‘to do.’

“Why is this sentence structured that way? Why is it past, past, past, and then ends in the future? Grammatically, it doesn’t make sense. It should have said, ‘that Hashem created and did,’ right? But it says ‘to do,’ because that is our role: to do.”

Biran also described the way his growing connection to Hashem influences how he sees the people he loves.

“When I look into someone’s eyes, especially where there is real love, I see Hashem,” he continued. “When I see Eliana’s eyes [his wife], I see Hashem. I see Nevo, I see my parents, my siblings, my nephew. Hashem speaks to me.

“You can’t say what Hashem is. You can say what He is not. He is not some old man sitting in heaven who gives you a punishment if you did something bad or a gift if you did something good. Hashem is everything. And you, too, are part of Hashem. You are not separate from Him.”

What Shabbat Taught Him About What Really Matters

Biran then shared a teaching from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z”l, former Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, that gave him a new understanding of Shabbat.

“Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, who was the chief rabbi of Britain, said: ‘In life, there is what is urgent and what is important. All week, we deal with what is urgent, and on Shabbat, only with what is important.’

“That gave me tremendous clarity about what Shabbat is in the first place. Shabbat is a gift, the source of blessing. It gives you the insight to understand what you are meant to do with the rest of your time.”

According to Biran, Shabbat helps him put the demands of everyday life into perspective.

“It puts things in perspective and makes you ask yourself each time: ‘Wait, is this important or urgent?’ When you know how to define what is important to you and what is urgent to you, it makes you a more precise person. And when you are a more precise person, blessing comes.”