A peaceful Shabbat

I love the feeling of Shabbat (the Sabbath) as it descends over the household on Friday evening. I've loved it ever since I was a little girl. The house is at its peak of cleanliness, the table is set (most of the time, anyway), the silver candlebra is waiting. When my mother used to light, I used to feel a sort of...glow come over the house, and now I feel it as well when I am the one lighting.

We often have guests for one of the meals on Shabbat; either friends of ours or friends of the girls. Good food, good conversation, laughter, even some words of Torah. This Shabbat we were on our own for the first time in quite a while. (Well actually, I'm not being completely truthful here; Monty the Big Black Dog was visiting, but he didn't actually sit at the table with us). Sometimes, when it's just us it can get tense around the table (the bickering--you know what I'm talking about?). I like to envision us as a harmonious family and when the tension sets in--well I hate that. This Shabbat, for some reason, everything felt right. We talked, laughed, spoke about the parsha. We even sang together. We were going to play Rummikub, but toward the end of our meal the lights went out (Shabbat clock mishap). The girls set up sleeping bags and pillows in the bathroom so they could read and Isaac and I read in our room by our bathroom light.

Today at shul two three! people actually spoke to me. Then we went to our "Rambam" group for kiddush (does that count as a mention, Ora?), followed by lunch, after which we actually did play Rummy (Team Liat/Tali swept all three games) my book + nap, a visit to Tammy....and here I am.

A pretty perfect Shabbat.


(How do you spend your Shabbat? Do you sing? Have guests often? Bicker around the table? Play games? Learn? I'd love to know. Especially about the bickering ;-) )