Shabbos Table

The Shabbos laws of resting on the seventh day as G-d commanded made sense long before I understood what I was supposed to do and the details of why.
From a Buddhist background, I knew the importance of stopping everything and being one with G-d. But I was so intimidated by the structure of the Shabbat services that I missed out on some of its most meditative parts.

And even when someone tried to explain it, I found it difficult to appreciate until I understood that Judaism isn’t something a convert can jump into. We need to start somewhere. Preparing for Shabbat is what get’s me into the spirit of the day.
Like any other religious holiday, most joy is in preparing for it – planning the menu, buying gifts, cleaning the house. Shabbat, I find, is more enjoyable when you start preparing for it.

So, how do we do that, and when?

We start preparing for the next Shabbat on Motzei Shabbos (the evening after Shabbat ends).

If you’re in the conversion process and want to host a meal, you will have to have someone turn on your stove and supervise you, as is the Kosher law of a ger (non-Jew) cooking for a Jew. This is mainly to make sure that kashrut laws are not violated and nothing else. I found it less stressful to order in and keep the containers sealed with the kosher stamp, so your Jewish friends would see it was not handled before they came.

If you’re cooking, it’s best to start thinking of what your menu would look like.
During the winter, when it gets darker in some areas, we want to start shopping on Thursday so we can cook and get ready, as Shabbat would start earlier than during the summer months. We can shop and cook on Fridays during the summer months.

We also want to decide who and how many you’d invite and do that early, so those people know how to plan. If you need an invitation, it’s better to ask soon so your host will learn how to prepare for you. Asking to be invited to a meal is normal in the Jewish community. However, it can be uncomfortable if you’re not used to it.

Friday Morning

Get your last-minute shopping done. If you’re getting flowers, make sure they are cut and put into a vase of water before Shabbat. Why we do this will be explained in the 39 malachos (things forbidden on Shabbat) section.

Checklist

✡️ Set up your Shabbat lamps or timers
✡️ Make sure the refrigerator’s light is off
✡️ Set up your water urn or Shabbat kettle
✡️ Open packets so there is no tearing on Shabbat
✡️ Mix drinks before Shabbat
✡️ Turn off and put aside the phone, wallet, and keys in a muksa drawer
✡️ Keys can be placed on an elastic scroungy and worn as a wristband like you would a piece of jewelry, but it cannot be carried as a key in your pocket as carrying is forbidden unless for Shabbat. This means you can take dessert to someone if you were invited for a meal on Shabbat.
✡️ Put tape on light switches, so you don’t accidentally violate Shabbat.

Some rabbis say that if we accidentally violate Shabbat, we say the last part of the Shema. Some rabbis say to continue but don’t try to keep the laws. I would suggest you ask your rabbi.

“Barack shem kavod machuto l o’lam va-ed.”

It means, “Blessed is the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever.”

I hope this was helpful.

Shalom