I am writing this from a home in Brooklyn, New York. My daughter and I are staying with an Orthodox Jewish family and Shabbos is over and it was a wonderful experience!
Shabbos began at around 7:55 pm on Friday, May 23. Everyone in the house took showers in the late afternoon and early evening and began getting ready. Earlier in the day, the entire family prepared dishes of food and Challah that would be eaten over the weekend.
The women (including me and my daughter) lit candles just before sundown. The men went to shul. When the men returned, we gathered around the table. It was set up so beautifully with flowers and special dishes and even special napkins were at each place setting.
There were some prayers done by the men and then there was a blessing for the grape juice and wine and we said a motzi and ate challah. Soup came after that and then various dishes, including chicken, noodle kugel, potato kugel, and other dishes were served. There was a cherry pie type dessert. We talked and laughed and shared until midnight!
In the morning, we slept in, and then after having a light breakfast and coffee (the water for the coffee was kept hot and plugged in before Shabbos), I walked with my hostess to a synagogue called Young Israel (in Flatbush) and got see the last part of the morning service. The men were in the center and the women sat above. After the service, we went to the basement for Kiddish which was very elaborate. There were all kinds of cakes and other dishes including gefilte fish that was way different than the kind you buy in a grocery store in a jar!
We walked back to my hostess's home. As we walked back, people stopped and greeted one another and wished one another Good Shabbos.
Back at our hostess's home, I spent some time talking with her sons and their next door neighbor. The boys told me the stories they learn at school from the Torah, Midrash, and Gemara. They told me story after story! We talked about the pictures in the books, including pictures from The Little Midrash Says.
Some members of the family went to wish people in the neighborhood best wishes for a Bar Mitzvah and also the birth of a new baby. I heard there was more food at those gatherings and it was very elaborate!
A huge elaborate family meal then took place. Just like the evening before, we washed our hands, and then did a kiddish and motzi. There was more noodle and potato kugel, Cholent (a stew type dish), salad, more challah, chicken nugget like pieces, and other food. It was all so good!
For dessert, there was a chocolate birthday cake baked in the shape of a butterfly. One of the girls in the family celebrated her 15th birthday. Her birthday was actually on Monday, 5-26, but the family celebrates during the Saturday Shabbos meal.
After the huge meal, everyone sat in the living room and read and talked. Some family members took naps. After awhile, I took a nap too! My daughter took several walks with the neighbor's daughter and her friends.
Then men left for more prayers as Shabbos drew to a close. Finally, it was time for a light evening meal that included fruit, veggies, fish salads, dips, challah, crackers, and chips. There was more talking and laughing. The son-in-law of my hostess said some prayers before we ate and we did a blessed the grape juice and ate challah. When the father finally returned home after the sun had set, there was a beautiful Havdalah ceremony.
All of a sudden, the house seemed to return to usual business. Mail was opened. Lights were turned on. The phone began to ring. Computers were turned on.
Wow...what a wonderful day!
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