The holy day of sabbath - ShaBbat -shabbos שבת

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Wine and Dine

You are invited to a Sabbath meal, with traditional Jewish Dishes and Local delicacies. 

The Torah commands us to “remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it.” The sages understand this to mean that we must verbally declare the Sabbath a holy day, so on Friday night we say a special prayer over grape juice in a ritual known as kiddush (sanctification). (A truncated kiddush is recited again the following day). After kiddush, Shabbat is celebrated with a sumptuous feast. 

The meals begin with two whole loaves of bread, which remind us of the double portion of manna that fell every Friday. Before we break bread, we wash our hands in a specially prescribed manner.

Typical European-Jewish Shabbat fare includes gefilte fish, chicken soup, kugels and other favorites, but the Shabbat meals really can feature whatever you feel is festive and delicious. During the daytime meal, we customarily eat something warm that has been sitting on a low flame (or other heat source) since the onset of Shabbat, such as the traditional stew of beans, barley, potatoes and meat known as cholent. 

The meal is a delight for the soul as well .

Aside from the physical enjoyment of the feast, the Shabbat meal often includes heartwarming stories, songs and Torah thoughts so that the meal is a delight for the soul as well. 

Shabbat

Shabbat (שַׁבָּת) (also known as "Shabbos" or the "Sabbath") is the centerpiece of Jewish life , and has been so since the infancy of our nation. According to the Talmud, Shabbat is equal to all the other commandments. Shabbat is so central to Jewish life 

Shabbat is the centerpiece of Jewish life 

that the term shomer Shabbat (Shabbat observer) is synonymous with “religious Jew” in common parlance.

Shabbat is a day of rest and celebration that begins on Friday at sunset and ends on the following evening after nightfall. 

 Just like Shabbat was welcomed in with wine, we usher it out with another cup of grape Juice in a special ceremony known as havdalah (separation). Havdalah also includes blessings recited over fragrant spices, to revive our souls that are feeling the loss of the special gift of Shabbat, and fire, which commemorates the first fire Adam and Eve lit after the very first Shabbat. 

 Some common activities that we may not do on Shabbat:

• Driving
• Turning on or off lights or operating electrical appliances (including phones and TV)
• Cooking
• Carrying in the public domain

Experience the uplifting holy day of  Sabbath with the Herzog family.

 Since we do not light fires on Shabbat, our sages declared that every Jewish home should have candles lit before the onset of the Shabbat, so that the evening be peaceful and festive. It is customarily the woman of the house who kindles these lights. We encourage girls as young as three years old to light as well. 

 We read in the Book of Genesis that G‑d created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. The sages say that on that day, G‑d created menuchah, rest, without which sustained creativity would be impossible. 

 Shabbat is also one of the 10 Commandments that G‑d transmitted at Sinai several weeks after the exodus. Thus, Shabbat commemorates both the creation of the world and G‑d’s intervention in world affairs when he took His nation out of slavery. 

Here are some great first steps to create a peaceful, meaningful Shabbat atmosphere:

• Light Shabbat candles on Friday night.
• Attend a Shabbat meal at a friend’s house. If you feel ready, host your own. Even if you are not yet ready for a long sit-down feast, have kiddush, wash and break bread.
• Turn off the phone and TV for the 25 hours of Shabbat. (UNPLUGGING AND OFFGRID!! one day a week.)
• Attend Shabbat services on either Friday night or Shabbat morning.

       Create a space to connect with G‑d, family and friends. Try it, you’ll like it.