"There are many different forms of Shabbat m'nuchah, rest on Shabbat. Some enjoy a good book, some exercise outdoors, and some relax with the newest arrival from Netflix. Working as a Jewish professional can keep one serving for the entire day, which leaves little room for Shabbat m'nuchah. For many of us the standard 'day off' is a Monday or a Thursday and those days are typically left to errands and paying of the bills. You know, the stuff that needs to be accomplished. During difficult weeks such as these, I have found my Shabbat in an early Saturday morning activity. When weather permits, I grab my bicycle and go for a 2 hour morning ride. When I first moved to Chicago's North Shore, I was astounded at how large the cycling community was. On some days it can even seem crowded on the suburban routes to the Botanic Gardens or the bike trails even at 7 AM. It's an amazing site to end a ride to see that a favorite breakfast spot is teeming with riders in helmets, jerseys, and cycling shoes. During Chicago's heavily snow-filled winter, I went spinning at the gym, which appeased my mind but never gave the thrill of an open-air ride. Each Saturday morning as I would trudge through the snow, I would count down the weeks until I would finally arrive at my annual spring trip to Israel to participate in the Riding4Reform fund raiser...

Among many of the clergy present, it was in agreement that participating in the Ride was like having five Shabbatotin a row. For me it was especially meaningful as I had not only my morning ride but I had left the world of email, cell phones, and the busy workload far behind. It was wonderful to laugh and sing with my friends, some old, some new, which made for tough goodbyes. Many of us knew, however, that it was just l'hitra'ot, see you later, as we would return for next year's bike ride (March 29-April 2, 2009) which will begin in the Golan Heights and finish in Jerusalem." To learn more about Riding4Reform visit the Riding4Reform 2008 Blog and the Riding4Reform photo page