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Hello, welcome to the editor's desk.

This is the podcast where we take a closer look at the essays and articles in the latest print issue of First Things magazine.

I'm Rusty Reno. I'm the editor of First Things magazine. And I'm here with you today at the editor's desk.

I'd like to welcome J.J. Kimchie to the podcast. We're going to talk about his review of John Levinson's recent book, Israel's Day of Light and Joy, the origin, development, and enduring a meaning of the Jewish Sabbath. Welcome to the podcast, JJ.

It's a pleasure to be back here. Thank you so much for having me.

Sabbath. Sabbath is back, or at least so you say. And in what sense is the Sabbath back?

The Sabbath is back in a grand manner, I would say. In fact, not only is it back, it has retaken its

position, his rightful position, I think, as a central and necessary institution in our modern life, which is very reassuring after perhaps three millennia of having this institution.

We were suddenly recognizing now in the 21st century how important it is, because obviously we in the West are starting to pay attention to the fact that we are

inundated all the time with work with devices with screens with social media with various

pings and beeps and buzzers and everything that makes modern life so incredibly pressured for

for very little good reason and people are paying attention to how this is,

you know, in a sustained and unceasing manner, this kind of life can actually be very detrimental

to sort of a peace of mind and in the tranquility. And they cast around for solutions. How can we

possibly find a way to both live with the technology we have, but at the same time not let it

completely take over our life. And one of the major solutions that have been suggested by many, and many different

authors and many different thinkers, is something very akin to the Sabbath. In other words, take a day

...