SHABBAT & FESTIVALS

 Wherever we are, even if we live as isolated Jews, we can invite local friends into our homes to celebrate Shabbat and various holidays in our own ways and at our own times. 

1) Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath) comes at the end of each week, but it is actually the most special day on the Jewish calendar. It represents everything Judaism stands for, and is a weekly time for us to celebrate who and what we are with friends, family and community. It is an opportunity to set one day apart from the regularized routine of the rest of the week. That day can be set to emphasize joy, meaning, connection, heritage, community and learning. 

Traditionally, a specific section of the Torah is assigned to each Shabbat (Parshat haShavua). This weekly Shabbat Torah reading can suggest themes that the entire small local group can focus on for discussion. Or the group could focus on the specific one-seventh of the Torah reading that our Fellowship is connecting with that Shabbat.

The group may instead decide to discuss one teaching from Pirke Avoth each week.

2) The annual Jewish calendar holds a number of Jewish holidays, festivals and seasons, each of which is an opportunity to celebrate, learn and build community.

On a particular Jewish holiday we may gather our friends to share the moment with us and with the entire Jewish People around the world. If you are meeting before or after the holiday, you can emphasize preparing for the holiday or a general theme of the holiday. Each of our holidays has many spiritual themes with universal applicability and so can speak to everyone’s situation whether or not they are Jewish.

3) Our Fellowship’s largest regular collective gatherings generally take place on Friday evenings at the beginning of Shabbat. Participants join us in person or by Zoom or live- streaming. These gatherings are opportunities for us as a Fellowship to celebrate inspirational themes and explore important questions of meaning together.