An issue that has come up at our synagogue is which activities are appropriate for kids on the weekend. Some have asked whether it’s okay for young kids to color as part of a Shabbat program.

This is certainly not “work”, but I can see the point of not wanting them to do something that is “creative”. However, I don’t see how this is very different from other recreational activities like reading a book or going to a museum.

If this is not permitted, what activities would you suggest?

Answer:

“Work” means different things to different people in different contexts. Some examples:

“Do you work for a living?” simply means “do you have a job – any job?”

Children can also get together for a special Shabbat event at which they say some prayers, sing some songs, learn a little about their history and heritage, hear a story, and have special treats

“Work it out” means “figure it out; solve the problem.”

There are more meanings too—for example, “what works for you?”

When the Torah says not to work on Shabbat, it is referring to a specific kind of work; namely creative work similar to the work done to create the Tabernacle. In this context, only this is considered “work”. All other definitions of work – such as labor, effort, difficult, etc. – don’t belong in this context.

One of the “creative works” used in building the Tabernacle was writing. They wrote symbols on its wall-beams which showed which beams went alongside each other. Thus, creating letters or pictures is forbidden on Shabbat.

[For more about activities appropriate for Shabbat, read the following link from our knowledgebase: http://www.askmoses.com/qa_detail.html?h=201&o=149.]

There are all sorts of games – educational games, board games, interactive games, etc. – which children can play on Shabbat. Children can also get together for a special Shabbat event at which they say some prayers, sing some songs, learn a little about their history and heritage, hear a story, and have special treats.

Shabbat is also a good time for parents to spend quality time in discussion and activities with their children—instead of just hitting the sack and “finding” something for the children to do.