To Life, L'Chaim!

I have a few friends who knit and blog and we've decided to embark on a blog project that has nothing to do with knitting. We're going to take turns coming up with a topic every Thursday and we each have to blog about it by the end of that day and post links to each others' blogs so that people can see our different perspectives on the same topic.

Check out the backstory about how the project was conceived and how we all came together.

Here are the other blogs:
Froggie Knits Like Crazy
Charmingly Random
Desperate Madness

This week's topic choice is once again my own: What is your favorite thing about your religion?

"Friday night, always a good night for some Sabbath.... 'cause, you know, Friday? is the Sabbath....for the Jews."

This was said on "Freaks and Geeks" by Neil, in response to Lindsey wanting to play Black Sabbath at her party. At the time I heard this line, I laughed but didn't give it much more thought. It was over 10 years ago and I wasn't observing Shabbos at the time. A few years later, I was watching "The Big Lebowski" and found it funny when John Goodman's character, Walter, was talking about how he was Shomer Shabbos and that meant he couldn't bowl on Saturday. Again, I didn't give it much thought as I was going out shopping and to movies on Saturday at the time.

This brings me to my first favorite thing about being Jewish: Shabbat! I wrote more in detail about my Jewish observance history, detailing various Shabbat experiences that have led me to where I am today, which is Shomer Shabbos for 3 years. Now that I've been Shomer Shabbos for this long, I can't even imagine going back to the way things used to be.

I love all of Shabbat, but I especially look forward to Friday night. That's when we bring in Shabbat and get to relax after a long and busy week. After I light candles with the boys, we sing Shabbat songs and dance around. Sometimes they'll play toys while we wait for my husband (their Abba) to come home from mincha. Then we all gather to welcome the Shabbos Queen with "Shalom Aleichem." Next we sing a song about a dinosaur who wants to spend Shabbat with us. The kids know all the words and they think it's a lot of fun. Afterward, my husband sings Ayshes Chayil (a virtuous woman) and then we bless the kids. Finally, it's time for Kiddush and challah. I just love the warmth and all the rituals involved with Friday night Shabbos dinner. It's something I enjoyed during the few experiences I had with it growing up (aside from going to temple with my family). I love that I can share this with my husband and kids. Sometimes we have Shabbos meals with friends and/or extended family. It's so nice to share the warmth with other special people in our lives.

Being Shomer Shabbos means that we don't use technology, drive, turn on/off lights, cook, play music, etc. during Shabbat. We've started to explain these customs to our kids and are teaching them what is muktzah. We're still learning about this for ourselves in the process. In any case, it's nice to have a day reserved for peace and quiet. My husband and I spend so much time on the computer all week, and the kids rely on the TV too much for entertainment. It's nice that we have this day to be a family, when we can eat, play and talk without the external influences of noise created by modern objects from our daily lives. Sometimes we even get in a nap, which is encouraged on Shabbat. Of course, that messes up our nighttime schedule, but it's nice on a long day after a filling meal.


Would you like some cream cheese with that "bagel?"

Over the last few years, I began to hear the term "bagel" being used to refer to an action instead of a food item. To "bagel" someone means that a Jewish person goes up to another Jewish person and reveals their identity as a fellow member of the tribe in some subtle way, such as asking where the nearest shul is or saying a phrase in Hebrew. I was "bageled" the other day when a man saw me standing next to my son, who wears a kipah, and wished me "Chag Sameach." I know I have "bageled" people in the past. I don't really have to when I have my older son around, since he makes it obvious that we're Jewish. However, there will be times I'm in line at the grocery store and the person behind me has all Kosher items in their cart. I can't help but wish them a good Shabbos!

This brings me to my second favorite thing about Judaism: Community! I love that there are so many Jewish people with whom to connect. This is not just in my neighborhood, at my shul or at my workplace, but all over the world! I love that while we're lighting Shabbos candles on Friday night, millions of women are doing this at the same time. I love being able to connect about experiences, beliefs, customs, etc. I mentioned this in my other blog about Judaism (referenced in the first section), but I love that when I was in Israel, everyone knew the words to "Am Yisrael Chai" and "Hatikvah," no matter where they were from. It was such an amazing and powerful feeling to be at that convention in Israel during my Birthright trip and one of the reasons I wanted to be more active in a Jewish community when I returned home. I also love how Facebook and other internet programs have connected Jewish people from all over the world. I love that I have found friends from NFTY, Makor, Birthright, etc. and am talking to them all in one place.

I love playing Jewish Geography and seeing who is connected in the Jewish world. It has led to so many coincidences in my life (and even in my husband's life). I even met my husband partially because of Jewish Geography. When I lived in Illinois, there was a diner where I would see someone I knew (usually Jewish) every time I went there. Nowadays, I usually see a few people I know every time I go to my favorite Kosher pizza place. During our first week here, several people introduced themselves to us the first time we had dinner at the pizza place.

Another thing that ties in with this is that I love going to all Kosher supermarkets and Judaica stores. I get a natural high from seeing stores with only Kosher items (Seven Mile Market was like the ultimate nirvana for me) and I love stores that sell things that cater only to the Jewish community in general. I love the creative things they sell, such as shirts that say "Chai Maintenance" and Hanukkiahs (a.k.a. menorahs) with different themes. They have lots of beautiful artwork and interesting books and toys for kids. I think I know that in either store, it's safe to say that no one has to do any "bageling" since everyone in the store is usually Jewish.

I can really connect Shabbat with community these days. We live in an Orthodox community with several shuls within walking distance. There's a Friday night and Yom Tov mincha minyan on our street, which is nice for my husband. On Saturday or holiday mornings, there are a lot of people who walk to shul around the same time and everyone greets each other. In the afternoons, people in the neighborhood get together so the kids can play and the adults can chat. It's not uncommon for someone to just drop by later in the day. The combination of Shabbat and community is what makes me elated to be Jewish.