One minute, every morning.

Every Friday, Jews around the world say two simple words:

Shabbat Shalom.

We usually translate it as: “A peaceful Shabbat”, but shalom means more than peace.

The Hebrew word shalom is connected to shalem, meaning "whole", or "complete".

And perhaps that’s exactly what Shabbat offers us.

Because during the week, we can feel anything but whole. Part of us is at work. Part of us is worrying about our family. Part of us is answering messages. Part of us is thinking about what happened yesterday. And another part is already worrying about tomorrow.

We’re physically in one place, but mentally in ten.

Then Shabbat arrives. And for one day, Judaism invites us to come back together.

To sit around a table. To eat. To talk. To pray. To be with people we love. To remember that we are human beings, not just human doings.

So perhaps when we wish someone Shabbat Shalom, we’re not simply wishing them a quiet weekend.

We’re saying: May you find a little wholeness again.

Because peace isn’t the absence of everything difficult. Sometimes it’s simply the feeling that, for a moment, the different pieces of our lives have come back together.

So as Shabbat approaches, ask yourself: What part of me needs to come home this Shabbat?

Shabbat Shalom!