This past weekend I was invited by a close friend of mine to spend the weekend at a Chabad sponsored home to see what it was like to keep Shabbat and all of its laws. At first I was a little hesitant; I wouldn’t be able to check my email, use my phone, watch TV…you get the point. But after hours of nagging and encouragement from my family to attend, I acquiesced to go and sent in my RSVP.

Friday night services were so powerful. Everyone in the room was praying with such intensity and fervor that it would’ve given anyone the incentive to join along in the singing and praying. Toward the end of the services the prayer Adon Olam was recited. It was at this moment I was able to see how passionate everyone was. Some were jumping and clapping, reveling in the joy of Shabbat, some were hugging each other swaying to the tempo of the song, enjoying the presence of Shabbat; all worries were checked at the door.
From the services we made our way to the dining area where a feast was already laid out on the table. Everyone gathered together and listened to the Rabbi make a blessing over the wine and bread. He sang such a beautiful melody, one resembling an old Ashkenazik tune, goose bumps covered my body.
Once the prayers were completed, everyone sat down to enjoy the delectable feast the Rabbi’s wife and her daughters had prepared. From matzo ball soup, to schnitzel, to brisket, every food imaginable was on that table.
I noticed something that I hadn’t seen in any other dinner table every before; people were talking to each other, enjoying the company. They were discussing parshas and politics. There weren’t any distractions from TVs, radios, video games. Nothing. Just human interaction, something most of us lack at our dinner tables.

The rest of the weekend continued with the same intensity as earlier on

in the evening; some went to study the bible, some gathered together and shared stories from their childhood, I particularly enjoyed the Rabbi’s stories of his childhood growing up in Lithuania.
Upon arriving home I was bombarded with questions as to how it was, what we did, was it weird. Then someone asked me if I had missed watching TV or using my phone. I stopped and noticed that it hadn’t even crossed my mind. I was so caught up in the excitement of Shabbat that I hadn’t even noticed that I didn’t have my cell phone.

Later on that night, my family was getting ready for dinner. We usually ate in the living room crowded around our TV watching our favorite shows. This night, I decided to change it up a bit. I set the plates on the kitchen table instead of around the TV. That night we ate, and enjoyed each other’s company. We talked about our days, what happened at school/work; we interacted and bonded.

I am not encouraging people to go and spend a weekend at a Chabad house, but I am suggesting that at least one night a week, turn the TV off and sit and talk with each other while eating dinner. It was a wonderful bonding time with the people I had met at the Chabad house and it was an amazing bonding time with my family. Even though it was an ordinary dinner that night with my family, I will never forget it.

Post by Daniel

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