Peter Knobel

It is a mitzvah to take the delight in Shabbat observance, as Isaiah said; You shall call Shabbat a delight(58:13). Oneg implies celebration and relaxation, sharing time with loved ones, enjoying the beauty of nature, eating a leisurely meal made special with conviviality and song, visiting with friends and relatives, taking a leisurely stroll, reading and listening to music. All of these are appropriate expressions of oneg. Because of the special emphasis on oneg, Jewish tradition recommended sexual relations between husband and wife on Shabbat .

A simple list of activities is not adequate to describe oneg, it is a total atmosphere is created by those activities that refresh the body and spirit and promote serenity(Gates of the Seasons p. 21).

The goal of this material is to make observance enticing. It is designed to be concrete enough to be clear but to be ambiguous enough for someone serious about to find his or her own definition of what activities are appropriate and what are inappropriate to fulfill this mitzvah.

The response literature provides rich examples of way in which the Reform movement seeks to provide guidance. CCAR Responsa 5763.6 Matriarch in the Tefilah illustrates both the reasoning of the committee and its own perceived lack of authority. The questioner accepts the concept that the Matriarchs should be included in the first blessing of the Amidah along with the Patriarchs raises questions about the way they are to be included, the order of Jacobs wives Leah and Rachel and finally whether Jacob’s concubines should also