Rabbi Barbara Aiello | rabbi@rabbibarbara.com | Nov. 7, 2025
Image by Olaf.herfurth – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikipedia
Each Friday like clockwork, (pun intended) he opened what he affectionately called his junk drawer and stashed his cell phone inside. “Shabbat Shalom,” were his parting words spoken directly to his devices as he closed the door on the material world and, following biblical direction, he refocused on his spiritual self.
Observing Shabbat had become a way of life for him and his family and since 2021 this young man found blessings and peace in giving one day a week over to spiritual concerns. In fact Shabbat observance had become such an integral part of his family life that his next book (he was the author of many) due out in December 2025 will focus exclusively on the biblical exhortation to honor Shabbat.
A rabbinic sage? A modern Jewish scholar? A powerful Jewish voice that soars above denominational differences? Not at all. What’s fascinating about this man, is that as an evangelical Christian, he single handedly promoted Shabbat observance as the foundational principle of living a meaningful life. That’s right, Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA’s murdered founder and international voice for bible based Christianity made Shabbat observance a central part of his message.
Fascinating? Interesting? Certainly. But for me as a modern Jew, I’m mortified. Why? Because Shabbat is mine. It belongs to us Jews. What’s this Christian guy doing, making Shabbat his own and embarrassing us Jews in the process?
After all it was Cultural Zionist founder Asher Ginsberg who said “More than Jews have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews.” And it was Ginsberg who explained that Shabbat is not only a religious practice but the practice of incorporating Shabbat into the rhythm of one’s life preserves Jewish culture, Jewish community and Jewish identity.
So if Shabbat belongs to us, if Shabbat has its origins with our people, how are we doing with our God-given gift? Looking back 40 years to the mid 1980’s, 40 percent of US Jews reported that they lit Shabbat candles and observed Shabbat prohibitions “in some way.”
Fast forward to a recent US survey and the Shabbat observance among American Jews fell to 28 percent with some rabbis throwing in the towel and capitulating to the demands of modern life in the Diaspora. They ask their congregants to “observe Shabbat in your heart.”
Writing for My Jewish Learning, Rabbi Ira Eisenstein examines “Shabbat in the Modern World,” and states “In modern times, non-Orthodox Jews have largely abandoned Shabbat observance, despite many innovations intended to encourage it.”
So what has Shabbat become for us Jews? For some of us it’s a custom held over from visiting our bubby on Friday night. For others its part of shtetl folklore, a holy tradition steeped in Jewish culture that we’ve intellectualized from modern life. Divinely commanded? Hardly.
I know. I know. Let me save you some time with Mr. Google. An unapologetic supporter of Israel, (the Prime Minister called Kirk Israel’s “lion-hearted friend”), Charlie Kirk had been accused as having made remarks that some characterized as antisemitic. But if we focus on those we’ve lost the opportunity to consider something vastly more important – we Jews and the legacy of our Shabbat. We gave the world Shabbat but for many of us modern Jews we’ve dropped the ball. Charlie Kirk and many of his Christian followers picked up the ball and they’re running with it.
In fact Charlie Kirk (sounding ever more Jewish) said that unplugging from our devices, turning off the screens, spending the day with family and friends is honoring the Sabbath. The benefits? Taking a Shabbat restores balance, reduces anxiety, and nourishes your soul. It’s not just a day of rest; it’s a lifeline to reclaiming what truly matters. Thanks, Charlie. Shabbat Shalom.
It seems to me that Shabbat observance is one of the things that has helped maintain the cohesiveness of Jewish communities throughout history, particularly, in the face of persecution. Perhaps some of the rituals are a little silly, (taping the refrigerator switch down so that the light won’t come on, etc.), but putting the electronic devices away is a great way to retain the original intent of Shabbat. Let’s all work harder to honor the meaning of Shabbat…spending time with G_d, family, friends, and community, while resting from our labors.
Thank you Rabbi Barbara for illuminating to what degree Shabbat was integral to Charlie Kirk’s life. It leaves me feeling grief over the loss of Charlie Kirk. But there is a way to respond to those feelings of grief: honor Charlie by keeping Shabbat. This is just one way to honor Charlie. This way of honoring him is to incorporate Shabbat into your way of life: have that one day be a taste of eden, a day for spiritual reflection, a day for closeness with family and friends without devices.
Charlie can serve as a source of inspiration even if he is not physically with us. We can look to him to learn how to have a conversation with those who have political ideas at odds with one’s own ideas.
Charlie can inspire in us a desire to learn, as he did. Answering questions of college students I could see the depth of his knowledge in a wide range of subjects. It is clear how much he devoted himself to learning about history, politics, and biographies of great men.
When you learn from Charlie, you are accessing his knowledge from beyond the grave and you are connecting with all his outstanding qualities as a man.