The Custom of Singing Shabbat Songs Sets the Tone for a Warm, Family Atmosphere

Yes it's Sunday, the day after Shabbat. Still, I want you to start thinking about how you can help your students and their parents create the ultimate family experience on a weekly basis -- a sing-along around the Friday night table.

Singing Shabbat Zmirot -- songs -- in between the yummy food served on Friday night is a tradition dating back to the Talmud, where the custom is first mentioned (Megillah 12b). It has continued over centuries wherever Jews are located, which is why you can find lyrics sung in Hebrew, Aramaic, Ladino and Yiddish.

Before I give you a taste of some traditional Shabbat songs, I want to share this Shabbat sing-along song list compiled by the Denver JCC. I like it because it shows how this custom has evolved in America by including some English songs. I looked for them on YouTube. Here's I've Got A Shabbat Feeling. I also found an additional song -- Shababa sung by Karina. Looks like a lot of fun. Speaking of which, how about this song -- Shabbat Shaboom sung by the Mama Doni Band. Looks like Mama Doni and I are on the same wavelength. She also starts her Shabbat countdown with Sunday -- and as a lover of puns I can tell you that she also has created one of the best word twists around. She insists that Shabbat is a Challahday and you know what? She's right!

Have you enjoyed the music so far? Has it given you some good family programming and song sheet ideas? Let's transition to Hebrew with these two simple words for Shabbat sung by the FunkeyMonkeys. Now add the words מה יפה היום -- Mah Yafeh Hayom -- and you have this easy song.

Ready for some classics with a different twist? Try Dror Yikra sung by the Maccabeats or this Yemenite variation sung by Boaz Sharabi. But first and foremost, the overture to every Friday night meal -- Shalom Aleichem.

True, we have to face the music that another jam-packed, fast-paced week is about to begin. Still, there's a light at the end of the 6-day tunnel called Shabbat.  By striking the right note its glow will create a warm family atmosphere. Please pass that message on.

Shavua Tov



Music Notes Photo Credit

Shabbat: Why It's So Important

It's Friday and we're all getting ready for Shabbat. In an unusual departure from my posts on holiday customs, I am providing you with a link to a wonderful and insightful article written by Shoshana Michael Zucker, a self-educated Jewish scholar living in Kfar Saba. This article clarifies why Shabbat is a much needed day of rest, and why it is the glue that keeps the Jewish people together.

Shabbat Shalom to all.
Tami


Photo credit

From Cochin to Vancouver -- Candle Lighting Customs that Bridge Shabbat & Hanukkah

Wherever we look on the Jewish calendar we always seem to be lighting a candle or two. Shabbat candles, Havdallah candle, festival candles (e.g. Sukkot, Passover, Shavuot) and Hanukkah candles. Since Shabbat is our weekly mainstay for recharging our batteries (these days, that too is a source of light) and Hanukkah is just several weeks away, it's nice to know that some candle lighting customs bridge the two.

Less than a hundred years ago the Jews of Cochin maintained the custom of welcoming the Shabbat by lighting stone lamps called kallu vilakku located at the entrance of their homes. It wasn't the woman who lit the candle but the synagogue Gabbai. Using a torch lit from the Ner Tamid -- the Eternal Light hanging in front of the ark inside the synagogue -- he would go from house to house, lighting each lamp. What did a kallu vilakku look like? This is my hunch based on a Google search.

While this clearly is an adaptation of an Indian custom, it's the Jewish Cochin way of saying Hey, it's Shabbat!

I haven't found a Cochin Hannukiah that resembles the above, but let's examine the Hanukkiah lighting custom in the Israeli community of Meah Shearim, and as I've just discovered with this photo, the Jewish community in Vancouver.

The Hanukkiah is also found outside, positioned near the home's entrance. This custom is found in the Talmud (Shabbat 21b) where it is stated that Hanukkah lights should be placed outside the doorway of the house. In other words, a way of announcing Hey, it's Hanukkah!

My question to you: Where are you going to light candles on Shabbat Hanukkah and how are you going to connect the two?

My craft suggestion: In addition to the Hanukkiah usually made in class or at home, how about making two clay oil lamps for Shabbat candles?

Any other suggestions? Send me an email and I'll post it.


Shabbat Candles photo credit
Hanukkah candles photo credit
Kallu Vilakku photo credit
Vancouver Hanukkiah photo credit

The Custom of Shabbat Heirlooms

Today I had the privilege of appearing at the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy in Rockville, Maryland. Using my book Lotty's Lace Tablecloth, we focused on the importance of family heirlooms -- how they connect us to our ancestors and our Jewish way of life. For starters, before reading the book I showed 4th grade students the lace doily for placing Sabbath candlesticks on, that my grandmother made as a wedding gift for my mother.

Afterwards, I asked the students to show their heirlooms and tell the tale behind them. Some wonderful stories emerged, including tales of bravery and service in the American army.

I was particularly taken by how many children brought in ritual objects related to Shabbat. It was amazing hearing about ancestors fleeing Russia (I assume pogroms) and making sure they had their precious candlesticks with them.  Some brought in the actual candlesticks, others brought photos.























A wood Havdalah spice box made in Israel during the early years of statehood was also proudly exhibited. Since I am always looking for unconventional heirlooms, I especially appreciated the Shabbat gefilte fish cleaver the girl below brought in -- and her reenactment of how her grandmother chopped the fish.

Talk about unconventional -- how about this Cantor's robe?!

Yes -- kids love heirlooms and learning the stories behind them. If you're a teacher, a Shabbat heirloom show & tell is an enriching program. If you're a parent, what better way to connect your children with their ancestors?! What's that -- you don't have a Shabbat related heirloom? It's never too late.  Start the tradition now.

Shabbat Shalom.

A Shabbat Custom from China that Connects to Shavuot

Centuries ago The Wandering Jew made tracks to the Far East, establishing a presence in China. Happily, I've discovered some of their customs and recently found a Shabbat tradition dating back to the 18th century that could easily be applied to a 21st century Shavuot celebration.

Before the Torah reading began, Chinese Jews removed the Torah from the Ahron Kodesh (Holy Ark) and put it on a special seat called the chair of Moses. From there it was carried to the Bima for the Torah reading. A small gesture but an important one, for where would we be without Moses and the Torah given to him on Mt. Sinai?

This of course is the segue to Shavuot, a holiday also referred to as Zman Matan Torateinu -- the time we received the Torah. So here's my suggestion: This Shavuot, how about designating a special chair for Moses? We already learned about a North African custom of placing an Elijah Chair in the Sukkah. Why not give Moses his due credit? Even better, how about creating your own Moses chair? You don't need wood. It seems a simple large carton will do, and you, your students and your children can write messages to Moses on it. Even better, how about the 10 Commandments? Get your creative juices going and enjoy!

 Shabbat Shalom...and Chag Sameach!


Velvet Chair Photo Credit
Carton Chair Photo Credit

Italian Anousim Use a Three Branched "Menorah" to Light Shabbat Candles

Who says there is nothing new under the sun? I'm always finding something different when it comes to Jewish holiday customs.

Take this triple candelabra as an example. It is a family heirloom belonging to Rabbi Barbara Aiello who can trace her ancestry to the Anousim -- secret Jews -- living in Serrastretta, a tiny Calabrian village in southern Italy.

I recently had the privilege of speaking with Rabbi Barbara. She's a woman with a mission, and that is to connect the population of present day Serrastretta to their ancient Jewish roots. She herself began this journey in 2004, when she began living in Italy on a full time basis. The strange customs that were practiced by her grandmother  prompted her to engage on a personal exploration. For instance, candle lighting on Shabbat. Even though the family was living in Pittsburgh PA, her grandmother would go down to the cantina -- Italian for cellar -- every Friday evening to light Shabbat candles. Despite the exhortations of Rabbi Barbara's father that they were now living in the land of the free, her grandmother's Crypto-Jewish practices ran deep and her constant answer was "you never know."

The candle lighting itself was a beautiful ritual where the matron of the house first lit the middle candelabra taper -- called the shamash -- removed it, and handed it to the youngest family member who in turn lit her personal candle standing in its own candle holder, then handed it on to the next family member according to age rank. And so the ceremony continued. From the youngest it finally returned to the eldest,  who began the process and in turn ends it by lighting the left and right candles on the candelabra.

Indeed, a beautiful all-inclusive family ritual handed down from generation to generation, along with the 100-year old candelabra which has its own special meaning. Notice the peacock motif. It was traditionally used by Jews in southern Italy. When a male a peacock opens its beautiful feathers, the shape of an eye appears -- symbol of the Kabbalstic third eye that sees into a person's soul and provides inner peace.

A welcome thought at this particular juncture in our lives, ripe for debate.
May you find inner peace this coming Shabbat.

Samaritan Style Shabbat

Two years ago I took you to the Israeli city of Holon for Sukkot where part of Israel's Samaritan community lives. You might remember the fabulous indoor Sukkah I posted. This time I'm going to share a Samaritan Shabbat with you.

White is the operative color for Shabbat. An all-white caftan is considered the equivalent of a tallit. And talk about observing Shabbat according to the letter of the law? That's exactly what Samaritans -- Shomronim in Hebrew -- do.  Because the Torah specifically commands that we should not do work of any kind -- and work involves creation -- Samaritans do not light Shabbat candles because it is an act of work/creation, nor do they use electricity. To make sure they are literally not left in the dark, they leave one to two lights lit during the entire Shabbat.

In fact, the use of electricity is such a no-no, they use two refrigerators. They turn the electricity off of one fridge and put their Shabbat food in it, knowing that the cold air inside will keep the food in healthy, eating condition.  But perishables for the rest of the week that need constant blasts of cold air to keep them fresh? That food is placed in the second refrigerator which is kept on and never opened during Shabbat.

Quite a clever system.  But by now you must be asking if there is nearly no electricity in use, what do they do to pass the time? Let's not forget that Shabbat is a day of rest, so rest they do -- rest and sleep. Of course, not all the time.  Here's the schedule: Shabbat prayers Friday night followed by the Shabbat meal and family visit (usually 2 hours), after which they go to sleep. That means during the winter they're asleep by 7-8 p.m.!!! But they don't sleep the night away. It's up and at it at the synagogue at 3 a.m. for Shabbat morning prayers for both men and women, lasting approximately three hours.  At 6 a.m. they go to either grandparents or great uncles/aunts to read the Parshat Hashavua -- weekly Torah portion.

All this makes for a healthy appetite, so home they go for a sumptuous breakfast of Israeli salads. What's one of their favorites? Eggplant and pomegranate salad.  Try it for yourself and share this different way of celebrating Shabbat with your children and students. Shabbat Shalom....


Elderly Samaritan Photo Credit
Young Samaritan Photo Credit

Iraqi Jews Welcome Shabbat with the Sweet Smell of Spices

Now that all the holidays are behind us, let's have a look at the one constant in our life which arrives on a weekly basis. Of course, I'm talking about Shabbat.

In my opinion, the concept of a day of rest is one of the greatest gifts Judaism has given to mankind.   While there is a set format of blessings, prayers and Torah reading, different Jewish communities around the world have developed unique customs to celebrate Shabbat.

You know that researching and writing about Jewish customs around the world is my thing, so get ready. I am about to start a new project -- Shabbat Around the World, and I'm using this blog as the launching pad.

Let's get started with a wonderfully aromatic custom from Iraq which shows that the sweet smell of spices is not for Havdallah alone. Iraqi Jews have a wonderful pre-kiddush tradition where the father of the house circles the set Shabbat table when he returns from synagogue on Friday night. When he concludes the round he takes a (pre-picked) fragrant spice branch -- be it myrtle, mint, or whatever else grows nearby -- and makes a blessing over the spice, adding the words a sweet fragrance, an offering to god. Immediately afterwards he recites the kiddush.

What a wonderful custom! Everything about Shabbat is sweet -- including the aromas associated with it. And Havdallah? It brings the custom full circle by heralding a sweet week.

Sounds good to me. Try it with your family, friends and students. What's more, this custom can serve as a great way to learn about your neighborhood/city/state's flora.

This custom is just a taste of what's to come. Starting in the Fall, I hope to be integrating more Shabbat customs into this blog. In the meantime, I'd like you to be in touch with me (tami@tlwkidsbooks.com) and tell me what you'd like to see me cover over the summer. Also, please write to me and share unique Shabbat customs that you know about.

Shavua Tov everyone.

Photo Credit

For 2012: A Technology Shabbat, California Style

Let's face it. With all of technology's benefits -- and there are many -- today's electronic age rules our lives. It has become such an addiction that Californian
Tiffany Shlain -- founder


of The Webby Awards and recognized by Newsweek as "one of the women shaping the 21st century" -- is convinced that we need a once-a-week break from everything e or i. To this end, she and her  family observe a  24-hour "Technology Shabbat" -- a rest from technology -- beginning every Friday at sundown.  That's what she said on a PBS Tavis Smiley show that I caught this past November when I was in the States.

I was particularly intrigued by her announcement because, quite frankly, I feel like an Israeli Agatha Christie watching my Orthodox nephews go on Skype every Motzei Shabbat Israel time -- meaning  the middle of Shabbat New York time. I don't claim to be any great Hassida. I live in that grey world of Conservadoxy and I'm all for live and let live, but huh? What's going on here? The answer came during this same November trip, when in a passing conversation my sister in-law told me that today many Orthodox kids observe a Half Shabbos. Which means, you don't have to be Conservative or Reform to open your computer or mobile phone on Shabbat.

Yes, this seems to be a teen thing and I don't write for teens. But what's at stake here is not the age level. It's the essence of Shabbat. Not the religious dos and don'ts, but what it does for our mind and soul. With all the quality time talk that parents spout, why is it that regardless of denomination we Jews fail to recognize that Shabbat is the prototype of family quality time? What other day of the week provides such a sense of togetherness? Name another evening where each member of the family is made to feel special. Think of the roles played by candle lighting, blessing children and saying Kiddush. And in today's hectic, 21st century life, name another weeknight when the family sits around the table, enjoys a home-made, mouth-watering meal while talking about the week's events.

How you extend that unified family feeling for a full 25 hours is up to you. So is how you teach it. Clearly, it's not about rules. Otherwise, Half Shabbos teens wouldn't feel the urge to break them. Shabbat is all about the gift the Jewish nation has given the world -- a day of rest.  So, thank you Tiffany Shlain for reminding us. It's something to tweet about every Friday afternoon before pushing the shut down button.


Technology photo credit

Shabbat photo credit

What Happens When Yom Kippur Falls on Shabbat? Ethiopian Jews Have Created A New Custom.

I am sure you were not expecting me to send out a Yom Kippur custom. After all, isn’t its observance universal, with little room for unusual traditions? The answer is yes and no. Yes, there is a standard ceremonial pattern. No, not everything is the same when this holy of holy days falls on Shabbat. Yom Kippur is also known as Shabbat Hashabbatot – the Sabbath of Sabbaths. Because it is prohibited to fast on Shabbat, all other fast days in the Jewish calendar are postponed to another day if they fall on Shabbat. Not Yom Kippur. It stays put regardless if it falls on Shabbat – as it does this year. What to do? Ask our fellow Jews from Ethiopia. When they lived in the land of their birth, they strictly adhered to the “no fasting on Shabbat” decree, and so they did eat something. Now that they are living in Israel they have created a new twist, as reported in a recent article appearing in the New York Jewish Week. They recite the Shabbat Kiddush, but let a child taste the wine. By developing this new practice they honor the Shabbat without violating the practice of fasting.
You may want to pass this custom on to your class and use it as a segue for learning more about Ethiopian Jewry.
Have an easy fast…Tami