I grew up in a large family and busy household in New York’s Upper East Side. On Friday afternoons my friends and I would part ways to go home and help our mothers prepare for Shabbat. Later, as we lit the candles we felt as if we were re-creating the miracle of beriat ha’olam. Although I always hoped that I would one day have a family to pass these traditions on to, I never imagined that today I would be re-creating this special feeling of holiness in the southwestern desert of the United States.
Our Shabbat candles here in Phoenix do not just create a “palace in time” for ourselves; instead we have the privilege of sharing Shabbat with a diverse population of wonderful people who have never before been involved in this weekly ritual that was woven into the fabric of our lives in the community in which I was raised. In Phoenix, Shabbat could easily pass by unnoticed. I was challenged to move here from our comfortable and familiar surroundings on the East Coast when I realized the potential role our family could play in improving the quality of Jewish life in Arizona.
Throughout our 18 years in Arizona, we have invited countless numbers of people into our home for a Shabbat meal and have come to discover that many of them are newcomers to the traditional Shabbat experience. They usually sit down at the table and ask, “You do this every Friday night?” They are astonished and intimidated at the thought of re-creating this experience in their own homes.
Hence was born the notion of SHORTCUTS TO SHABBAT® Through specially crafted seminars I have taken hundreds of people through Shabbat preparation–from soup to sorbet. I have taught women in the community to maintain a kosher kitchen, bake hallah, and create Shabbat and holiday meals with ease. My goal is to present simple shortcuts to what looks like hours of work. I ask the participants to imagine their kitchen as an art studio, a place of inspiration and experimentation as they artfully arrange their menus and platters. My friends always laugh when I tell them the words my mother has lived by: “No one will ever write on your tombstone, she made it all from scratch.”
Over the years, I have found that sharing the brightness of our Shabbat candles and the tradition of Torah with others, especially with people who are new to Sabbath observance, has added to the specialness of our Day of Rest. It has also given my children something invaluable. They quickly learned that our “open door” policy on Shabbat and the constant element of surprise in our guest list serve to enhance our Shabbat and help us create a mikdash me’at–a little sanctuary–within our own home. Through the act of lighting the Shabbat candles, we not only inspire ourselves but also have the opportunity of inspiring others to fulfill the mitzvot of Shabbat. And that is a great gift.