Former Education Minister and one of the higher ups in the Likud party Gideon Sa’ar recently did an interview with the weekly periodical “Olam Katan” in which he related to the importance of Shabbos and how he observes it each week.

“I really enjoy keeping Shabbos,” Sa’ar said. “From my standpoint, anyone who leads a very intense lifestyle needs this weekly break. It has a very high value now even more than usual.”

Sa’ar said that he took this step after a Rabbi who was supposed to be the Sandak at his son’s Bris was ill and unable to attend. He decided that he would be the Sandak but the officiating Rabbi said that a Sandak has to keep Shabbos. “I had already been thinking about beginning to observe Shabbos, so I took upon myself at that instant to begin keeping Shabbos. The Rabbi told me that it wasn’t just the upcoming one that I need to keep but all of them. I agreed and that is when I began observing Shabbos.”

Sa’ar was asked how the new scenario works for his wife the journalist Geula Even-Sa’ar. “My wife does not observe Shabbos, but my observance does affect how she spends the day. It creates an interesting situation that is neither completely religious nor completely secular. We take a walk in the park. My son goes down the stairs with me to leave our apartment and my wife takes the elevator with my daughter. We make kiddush, my cell phone is turned off and I don’t drive anywhere.”

Sa’ar added that, as always, educating future generation is of the utmost importance for him. “What is important to me is passing on the idea to the next generation. We need to pass on something and I feel that my Shabbos observance is meaningful not just for me but also for my children.”