Techum Shabbat, also known as the Shabbat boundary, is a special rule that tells us how far we are allowed to walk or travel on the Jewish Sabbath, which is a day of rest and worship that lasts from Friday evening to Saturday evening.
On the Sabbath, Jewish people are not supposed to do certain activities, such as driving cars, cooking food, or using electronic devices. They use this time to spend with their families, pray, go to the synagogue, and study the Torah, which is the holy book of Judaism.
Techum Shabbat helps determine how far we can walk or travel without breaking the rules of the Sabbath. It works like a special invisible line that is drawn around our home or the place where we are staying for the Sabbath.
Imagine you have a big circle drawn around your house. Techum Shabbat tells you that you cannot go beyond this circle on the Sabbath unless you have special permission or there is a specific emergency.
The reason we have this rule is because, in the olden days, people used to live in small communities, and they would walk everywhere. They didn't have cars or buses to travel long distances. So Techum Shabbat helps us stay close to our community and not wander off too far from our homes on the Sabbath.
The circle of Techum Shabbat is usually set at a distance of about 3,280 feet or 1,000 meters in all directions from our home or the place where we are staying. This is roughly the same as walking one mile. So we are allowed to walk one mile away from our home on the Sabbath and still follow the rules.
If we need to go beyond this one-mile limit, we need to get special permission or have a good reason, such as going to the synagogue for prayers or visiting someone who is sick and needs our help.
Techum Shabbat helps us to remember the importance of staying close to our family and community during the Sabbath. It reminds us to take a break from our usual activities and focus on our spiritual and personal growth.
So, just like when you play in your own backyard or stay close to your home, Techum Shabbat tells us to stay close to our homes and communities on the Sabbath, so we can have a special and meaningful day of rest and worship.