This is a continuing series of articles the Music Prayer and Ritual Committee is sponsoring about the way temple members observe Shabbat.  Stay tuned for more updates.

Shabbat with the Winickoff family

“We have a very simple Shabbat. Our children choose out the candles together and Mom puts them in the candle sticks. We lay out the Challah bread on a special plate and pour the wine. Beth says the basic Shabbat blessing and then blesses each child while she touches each one's head in turn. Dad says the blessings over the wine and bread. Then we eat! Usually at some point in the during or after the meal Beth brings out the tzedakah box and the children put the money in.
 -Jonathan and Beth Winickoff

Shabbat with the Krantz family
One of my favorite Shabbat rituals is when we are all at the table and before we light the candles we do "highs and lows of the past week" and it gives everyone a chance to talk before we do the blessings.
-Stuart and Heidi Krantz

Shabbat with the Hulls
“First we place a challah under the beautiful challah cover Charlie made (at Temple Sinai) in the middle of the dining room table to tempt the eye. Then, everyone in the house, including friends of any background, grabs a piece of challah and says something that's Good ....and, that's it!  The meaningful part is just taking a moment to say something positive out loud.  The hard part of this is waiting for sundown, or for all of us to be there. To say that we are able to do this every Shabbat would be a massive over statement.  Perhaps semi-regularly? Occasionally?  OK, whenever we can pull it together!”
-          Stephen, Caryl, Justin, Charlie Hull

Shabbat at the Rubins'
  Through life's many changes -- our Shabbat home has evolved, but what remains constant is its special place. Its role in our lives and in our hearts.
 
It begins Friday at 4 pm, with a trip to the supermarket with my seven year old David. Ours is a family with a collective sweet tooth: Cheryl Anne's chalah for us! We start cooking and setting the table. Chicken vegetable soup with every vegetable in the fridge thrown in. Asparagus and cous cous. Chicken, of course, or sometimes, if I'm daring, and willing to be disappointed a little later, some haddock or salmon...
 
We are rushed, like a surge of energy that David sometimes has before he drops off at night, our work week comes to an end in a frenzy. Rachel, my soon-to-be-wife (May 25th is the big day!!!) usually comes home from work around 5:30 pm-ish, and jumps into the frey. A quick kiss for me and a giant hug for David. I am SO tired. She says with a smile. Me too! Rachel, I got a yellow stripe at Karate! David says, and promptly shows us ae SanShin karate move. Sometimes it's even crazier then the normal dinner preparation, if we have guests, or, if we try to get to synagogue by 7:30 pm. But mostly, it's just us, the three of us.
 
And finally, Shabbat begins with song. Gathered around the table, Rachel begins with the candle blessings. Then we do the kiddush and blessing over the bread. Singing together mostly. We love especially the blessing over the children, when Rachel and I place our hands on David's head and ask God to guard him and protect him., to allow him to grow into a good person. We end the blessings with kisses, and "Shabbat Shalom!"'s. And dinner is served. By all of us. It is, on most Shabbats, the most relaxed, least rushed meal of the week. We savor each other and the food. It feels different.
 
In the spring and summer, we go for long walks afterwards. Sometimes around the reservoir. David runs ahead then skips back. Rachel and I go over the week. Finally get a chance to talk about so many things we put off.  We go to sleep late usually. David by 10 pm, and Rachel and I much later. But we are not worried. David will sleep in on Saturdays, and if wakes up he can fend for himself for an hour or more. And then, our Saturday morning ritual begins. We go as a family to play squash and go swimming in Waltham. It's really the most joyous morning of the week!
 
The afternoon, too, is relaxed. Home time. Sometimes play dates, and it ends on Saturday evening with family movie night.  If it all seems homey, that's because it is. Rachel and I often joke with each other about how "boring" our Fridays and Saturdays are, and how we absolutely LOVE it that way.
 
Thinking back to our ancestors, I know that we don't follow many of the rituals that define the "Jewish Shabbat" of tradition. But somehow, what we do in our family feels nourishing and life affirming, as I would like to believe God intended when he commanded us "Sanctify Shabbat at make it Holy!"
 

If you are interested in contributing a column, please contact jonckatz at aol.com.