Shabbaton

The Hebrew term Shabbaton, ( _he. שבתון), may be loosely translated into English to mean Sabbatical. In Israel, when one takes a Shabbaton, one takes the year off in search of other pursuits. It is a rest from work, a hiatus, typically 2 months plus. The concept of a sabbatical has a source in several places in the Bible (Leviticus 25, for example), where there is a commandment to desist from working the fields in the seventh year. In the strict sense therefore, a sabbatical lasts a year. However, in recent times, a sabbatical has come to mean any extended absence in the career of an individual.

Coloquially outside of Israel, where Hebrew is spoken to a lesser extent, the term Shabbaton has come to mean a program of education, and usually celebration, that is held on a Shabbat (Jewish sabbath). Sometimes a Shabbaton is an entire weekend with the main focus on the Shabbat. Many communities have such events, including youth groups, singles groups, synagogues, schools, social groups, charitable groups or even family reunions. These events can be multigenerational and wide open, or limited to a small specific group. A Shabbaton can be held where a group usually meets, or at an off-site location.

By calling such a program a Shabbaton, rather than just a "retreat", the group is signifying that it recognizes the importance of Shabbat in the program.