that a sense of mitzvah is a goal of Reform Shabbat observance, but not its starting point. He writes:
The hope[behind this new manual] was that Reform Jews had a text which helped them encounter the beauty and joy of Shabbat , they would embrace Shabbat as a necessity in their lives. In other words, Shabbat would become a mitzvah for Reform Jews... Hopefully, your experience of Shabbat will add a dimension of sanctity to your life that nothing else can replace. When that happens, you ought to begin to feel commanded to observe Shabbat because you would not want to do anything but that. At that time what you do will not only strengthen you as a Jew , but also strengthens the Jewish people."
In keeping with this approach, the actual listing of Shabbat mitzvot _ which is almost an exact replica of the one in Gates of the Seasons— appears towards the end of Gates of Shabbat. Instead, the center of Shapiro ’s guide is a section on“Establishing Definitions for Work and Rest on Shabbat .” This is defined as the greatest challenge facing“the contemporary Jew who wants to observe Shabbat, ” and yet Shapiro insists that“these very worthwhile tensions are the creative dynamic out of which you can fashion your Shabbat observance.”® The itemization of mitzvot has yielded its place to a focus on what might inspire the reader to begin to explore Shabbat observance.
Shapiro ’s guide then offers three different models for work and rest on Shabbat : the walker, who aims at a complete change of pace on Shabbat , withdrawing from work and human creation; the museumgoer, who focuses on refreshing the soul, and celebrating freedom from necessity; and the painter, who uses creativity to express a sense of liberation. Although these models are radically different from each other in terms of the traditional mitzvot of