Today I visited a new resident in one of the nursing homes which I visit. The resident who is not too old, is bedridden and dealing with a lot of health challenges. We spoke about life, where she grew up and her own difficult medical history over the last few years. At the end of the visit, I offered to come back another week and bring her some homemade Challah which I didn't have with me this week.
Her eyes lit up and welled up with emotion, as she said "I would just love that". She then told me she hasn't had a homemade Challah in years, maybe since her childhood, and even homemade food it has been a year or more since she had had the joys of tasting something like that.
I told her, I will be back soon with a homemade Challah, but it was obvious that it wasn't the taste alone of the Challah that is beckoning her, it is what the Challah represents from her childhood, her values and her parents.
Indeed, the food we ate at our parents Shabbat Table, along with the atmosphere of warmth, light and focus on connections with each other, and discussing the deeper aspects of life, through stories, ideas from the weekly Torah portion and more, are what have helped the Shabbat table, be a place where love, tradition and values have flowed and blossomed from one generation to the next.
The aroma and the tastes of the hot homemade Challah and chicken soup that fill the air, as the Shabbat Candles cast their rich glow on the table full of family, friends and guests who are eating, singing melodies, or having deep or friendly conversations, are a centerpiece and part of the staying power of a Jewish home.
As the famous saying goes "more than the Jewish people have kept the Shabbat, the Shabbat has kept the Jewish people".
In a sense in today's technology driven world, the gift of the weekly Shabbat Dinner with family, friends and guests, and everyone there being truly present and connected with those around them in a meaningful manner (without distractions), is something that is priceless in terms of what it will give our children and all those who sit at our table.
In the portion of the week we read about the passing of the Matriarch Sarah, and the home that her son Yitzchak sets up with his wife Rivka, after the passing of his mother.
The Midrash tells us, that three miracles were present in the home of Sarah at all times, namely the Divine Presence was always felt in the home, the glow and light of the Shabbat Candles were felt all week, and the Challah bread stayed fresh week to week. Certainly these also represent, an awareness of the Divine presence and purpose, living a life of light and joy, and nurture and helping others.
The Midrash tells us that when Isaac and Rebecca marry, these same three miracles and values continue on in their new home. Indeed the values at the essence of the home, were now continuing to find expression in the next generation.
Indeed, the aroma of the Challah and the foods of Shabbat may only be one piece of Shabbat, but they certainly remind us of something deeper, and that is the values of our parents, Jewish values, and what it is that we seek to connect with and live by.
Perhaps now in 2024 more than ever before, making the time to sit together as a family on Friday evening, maybe inviting guests, and simply being present, along with reciting the Kiddush and remembering there is a purpose to the world and life, eating Challah and remembering to be grateful for our blessings, and sharing our table with others with melodies, meaningful messages and genuine connections, are among the greatest sustaining gifts we can pass on to our children and family, so that they too, can enjoy, live and breathe these values to the generations that follow.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos
Yisroel