Shabbat in Hebrew simply means "Saturday"; however, in the Jewish tradition we count days from sunset to sunset, so Shabbat lasts from Friday at sundown until Saturday at sundown. The public transportation shuts down because Israel is recognized as a Jewish State and in the Jewish religion, Shabbat is our day of rest. Deeply religious people will not drive or even turn their lights on, use their phones, or do anything that would be considered “work.” There are no buses or trains, so if we are traveling somewhere for the weekend we make sure to arrive before the transportation stops and have to arrange to sleep somewhere and wait until at least Saturday night to return. The taxis do run, but they get quite expensive if you are going far. This is one of the biggest adjustments to living in Israel for me. However, it is teaching me to slow down in life and really take the time to appreciate relaxation and time for myself.
