Joseph Epstein in Commentary (April 2025)
From nap-time to Sabbath rest, prolific essayist Joseph Epstein explore the simple yet profound concept of rest: one of those “monosyllabic words of infinite meaning.”
Epstein takes the reader on a world tour of everything from Orthodox Jewish practices to the ancient traditions of otium to the great Frenchmen of letters—including Montaigne, Pascal, Diderot, Rousseau and many others.
Then, the author switches to the personal narrative of his own explorations of rest, defining it in relation to boredom (“only in the company of bores”) and work (in his case writing).
In contrast to the seaside resort or cruise ship getaway, Epstein concludes with searching thoughts from Michael Oakeshott, who reminds us that “we spend our lives trying to discover how to live…But we shall never find it. Life is the search for it…” Thus we are left with the paradox of finding rest as an essential activity of life.
