The Shabbat Across America plan allows nonobservant Jews to participate in, and learn about, the tradition celebrated weekly in millions of Jewish homes.
By: Michael Arges
EAST WINDSOR At more than 700 locations in the United States and Canada, Jews will have a chance to come home spiritually through the fifth annual Shabbat Across America on March 23.
The program provides an opportunity for nonobservant Jews to participate in, and learn about, the tradition celebrated weekly in millions of Jewish homes. It also may be an occasion for an important revival of family life, said local Jewish leaders.
"In this world, where people are putting in 80-hour weeks rushing! rushing! rushing! our greatest gift is to have one evening, a Friday night celebration, to come together," said Rabbi Sholom Leverton, director of the Chabad of the Windsors in East Windsor.
"It is a time to put aside your worries and the unreturned phone calls and the bills that haven’t been paid. It is a time to join together and get in depth with your soul and your spirituality. I hope people will take this opportunity to taste the holiness of Shabbat!"
"We celebrate Shabbat every single week, but this is an intensive program in which each of these participating locations will not only have a service but also have a Friday night meal," noted Rabbi Jay Kornsgold of Beth El Synagogue in East Windsor.
"The idea behind that Friday night meal is not just to do it for your own congregation, but that it should bring in people from outside.
"The weekly Shabbat dinner definitely brings families together," Rabbi Kornsgold noted. "Because they know that no matter how wild and crazy the week may be for everybody when Friday night comes, everybody in the family gathers together for the traditional dinner."
He recalled the Shabbat dinners in his family growing up.
"I always looked forward to it, because during the week everybody was eating at different times and doing different things. This was a chance for everybody to come together and not have the distraction of the television and radio a chance to come together and see how the week went in everybody’s life. It is a special time with the table nicely set and the candles are going it’s a festive time in the home."
At both Beth El Synagogue and Chabad of the Windsors there will be a complete introduction to the Shabbat dinner tradition. Those who have not been observant will be able to get the tradition started in their own homes.
"We’ll be going through all of the rituals and not just doing them, but also explaining them," Rabbi Kornsgold said. "We will be very inclusive, so people will understand exactly why we do what we do.
"It’s not only that we’re trying to do it that night. We hope people will be able to observe these traditions with their own families. We will also give out materials about how to do these rituals at home."
The Shabbat dinner is really a combination dinner and worship service. The dinner begins with a sung prayer welcoming the ministering angels: "Peace be unto you, Oh ministering angels, messengers of the most high, the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He! May you come in peace!" Rabbi Kornsgold noted. "The idea is that ministering angels follow everybody home on Friday night."
This is followed by the traditional blessing of the children, the sanctification of the wine, and then the blessing over the hallah, the egg bread traditional for Shabbat.
"Towards the end of the dinner the cantor will be singing various Shabbat songs," Rabbi Kornsgold added.
The fifth annual Shabbat Across America is sponsored by the National Jewish Outreach Program, a group based in Manhattan that is sponsored by the major Jewish denominations: Reconstructionist, Reformed, Conservative and Orthodox.
The program coordinates an extensive advertising program across the United States and Canada. It invites people to call up to find out what local groups are sponsoring one of the special Shabbat events.
"A person might call up and say, ‘Yes, I live in the Windsor area and I’ve never been to anything and I’d love to have a Shabbat experience, but I wouldn’t know where to go," Rabbi Leverton explained. "It obviously will bring a great boost for our congregation. It will involve people who wouldn’t necessarily know where the find us; people who want to just taste a Shabbat event without any other obligation."
Beth El will hold its special Shabbat meal at 6 p.m. March 23, with the Friday night service following at 8. Reservations should be made by Tuesday, and the charge is $12 for adults and $7.50 for children under 11. Those interested should call 443-4454. Chabad of the Windsors plans a 7 p.m. service, followed by the Shabbat meal. Those interested should call 448-9369 by Wednesday.