The Gift of Rest: Rediscovering the Beauty of the Sabbath

Senator Joe Lieberman shows how ceasing all activity for a weekly Sabbath observance has profound benefit—including health, relationships, and even career advancement—for people of all religions.

Our bodies and souls were created to rest—regularly—and when they do, we experience heightened productivity, improved health, and more meaningful relationships.

In these pages you’ll find wonderful stories of the senator’s spiritual journey, as well as special Sabbath experiences with political colleagues such as Bill Clinton, Al and Tipper Gore, John McCain, Colin Powell, George W. Bush, Bob Dole, and others. Senator Joe Lieberman shows how his observance of the Sabbath has not only enriched his personal and spiritual life but enhanced his career and enabled him to serve his country to his greatest capacity.

Joseph I. Lieberman (1942–2024) was a United States senator representing Connecticut. As the 2000 Democratic vice presidential candidate, he made history as the first Jewish American to run for national office on a major-party ticket. He authored several books, including In Praise of Public Life, An Amazing Adventure, and The Gift of Rest.

David Klinghoffer is a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute in Seattle. He is the author of five books including Why the Jews Rejected Jesus: The Turning Point in Western History; Shattered Tablets: Why We Ignore the Ten Commandments at Our Peril; and the spiritual memoir The Lord Will Gather Me In: My Journey to Jewish Orthodoxy, a National Jewish Book Award finalist. A former senior editor of National Review magazine, he has written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Commentary, The Weekly Standard, and many other publications.