עברית
Halachot and Customs
Unable to Fully Observe Shabbat
Question
Hello and blessings,
I am a young boy and I really, really want to observe Shabbat completely. I understand how important it is. But the problem is that my family is relatively secular, and besides my sister who sometimes observes, they usually do not keep Shabbat. I also don't think I can convince them to observe, unfortunately. Almost every Shabbat I try to keep it fully, but often my family and I do kiddush at my grandparents' house who live far away. So I am forced to travel on Shabbat twice – there and back. In such cases, I cannot avoid traveling on Shabbat, because my parents are not very religious and will not agree not to travel to my grandparents' for kiddush. If I don’t go with my family, I will be alone at home on Friday night and my parents probably won’t agree to that either. So I think, unfortunately, that for the next several years, until I maybe marry, there will be many Shabbatot that I will not be able to observe fully and this really saddens me.
Therefore, I have two questions:
1) Is it possible to observe Shabbat except for the traveling, or if I travel on Shabbat, does it count as if I have desecrated all of Shabbat and there is no point in observing it?
2) How severe is what I am doing and is there a way to atone for it considering I really have no other choice? And if you have a solution to my problem, I would be very happy. Thank you!
Answer
Hello and blessings, Fortunate are you and fortunate is your portion that you have the merit to observe Shabbat. Even if there is something you cannot manage in observing Shabbat, such as being forced to enter a car, nevertheless you are still observing Shabbat and you will receive great reward for abstaining from performing any labor yourself. Certainly, one should strive, with Hashem’s help, to observe Shabbat completely, and with Hashem’s help, this will come sooner than you think. But even now, when you are still compelled to enter the parents’ car on Shabbat, you have tremendous merit in every moment you refrain from doing any form of labor. Therefore, with strength like the strength of your loins, strive to refrain from performing all labor with your own hands on Shabbat, and you will merit much good and abundant blessing and success in all your endeavors. I would be happy to assist you further as needed. Be strong and courageous, Binyamin Shmueli
