Shabbat Eve

It's finally here. Shabbat upon us.
Shabbat is the most important ritual observance in Judaism. It is primarily a day of rest and spiritual enrichment.
The root for the word Shabbat means: to cease, to end or to rest...and in our extremely busy lives this is more than a mere challenge.

We drive while checking emails; we cook during the time that laundry is getting done; we order our food as long as we can keep our phone conversations going..
Then Shabbat invites us to take a real break..and even when we can't really drop our " regular addictions" we aim to get closer to the spiritual aspects of life as well as spend time with our loved ones and families.

Among the several rituals observed during Shabbat, I personally enjoy bringing new flowers to decorate our table and listening to festive music in the Israeli Radio. My absolute favorite though..is to bless the candles, wine and bread before our Friday night dinner.

A good amount of our Israeli Folk Dances honor Shabbat with beautiful melodies and lyrics..Soft steps, waltzes and turns makes us feel the exceptional energy this Holiday brings.
I chose one of them that I really enjoy to sign off for the evening.

I am wishing you all- no matter if you are observant or not- a peaceful, restful and spiritual weekend in any way or form.
Shalom!

A rose will blossom in my garden
At dusk, the evening will glow
In my window the doves will sing
And in my heart it's Sabbath Eve

 (from Erev Shabbat)

http://www.hebrewsongs.com/song-erevshabbat.htm