Shishi Mishpachti - Friday Night Family Dinner

As many of you must know by now, I love expressions of Jewish culture in a secular guise. That is why I love this website (link). It is a new project that tries to encourage families to have ONE meal TOGETHER each week. Well, when they did market research, they discovered that for Israelis the most obvious time was Friday Night dinner. And so they have created a project to raise the profile of the good old-fashioned Friday Night Shabbat Meal!

The Website includes recipes; the text of Kiddush, an explanation of all the traditional friday night customs from Gefilte Fish to Shalom Aleichem, and also Zemirot. It is on the one hand clearly secular - there is a list of Israeli celebrities who are supporting and backing this project - and on the other hand, totally traditional. Lots of Fun! Check it out.

שבת מנוחה

There is a song that Israeli kids sing on Friday's in Gan (and bigger kids in the army):

היום יום ששי
מחר שבת
שבת מנוחה

Now in the religious school system, they sing the words שבת קודש instead of שבת מנוחה. I never understood why. I imagine that the aim is in some manner to say that Shabbat is not simply a day to rest, unwind, relax but rather an active spiritual day in which we connect with God, and Torah etc.

But what's wrong with resting - just resting - sleeping, reading the newspaper (God forbid!), hanging with the wife 'n kids on Shabbat? After all, the famous Shabbat Zemer "Yom Zeh Leyisrael" has the chorus line of "Shabbat Menucha"! We use the phrase Shabbat Menucha in a Shabbat liturgy. And let's not forget... God Himself rested on Shabbat!

Soemtimes Shabbat is a crazy hectic day with lots of shul (too much sometimes ... dare I blaspheme?) and huge amount sof entertaining guests. It then is neither Shabbat Kodesh nor Shabbat Menucha.

And to create a spiritual "Shabbat Kodesh" is a challeneg in itself.

This has been a crazy week. This week, I, for one , am looking forward to a good 12 hour sleep tonight.
שבת מנוחה