PREPARING FOR THE QUEEN
Posted on: 26 January 2007
- In: thoughts
- 26 Comments
Having fun with aba at the Dead Sea
This is a treat… we don’t have a television at home
I’m almost there….
Every Friday I wish everyone a lovely weekend and to my fellow Jews a Shabbat Shalom.
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I thought I might share with you a little insight into what my Friday means to me. Shabbat, the seventh day of the week when G-d commanded us to rest and keep that day holy is a gift not to be refused or ignored… a day in which we are told to switch off from the daily grind.
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It is often alluded to as the Shabbos Queen. When Shabbat arrives we become royalty. We dress in our smartest clothes as we welcome our bride the Shabbos Queen.
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The Talmud tells us “He who toils before Shabbos shall eat on Shabbos.” This is obviously a practical piece of advice, but it reveals an insight into how we lead our lives. For the whole week we are preparing for the highlight, the climax. Today, particularly I want my whole house and the dinner table to shine. Even when I go shopping I will look for that something special that we will only have on Shabbat, to make the day special. Flowers are a beautiful way to welcome Shabbat and enhance the home.
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In days past many were seated at my table. Now No.1 son lives in Israel with his own family, I have to share No.2 son with his fiancee’s family and my father has passed. I love it when my mother joins us and my brother and his family too and the children invite their friends, but tonight will just be Rachel and me, yet still we shall say all the blessings and eat a special meal… you know that thing called Tradition
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I shall light the candles and say prayers for my children, then as Rachel and I sit together at the Shabbat table we will sing Shalom Aleichem to welcome G-d into our home. “Where can G-d be found? Wherever man lets Him in.” Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk: 1787-1859, Poland
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Then the beautiful Eshet Chayil praising the woman of the home for at the heart of the Jewish home is the Jewish wife and mother, even though we shall sing it to each other. Following on will be Kiddush, the prayers over wine and bread, challah.
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So now you know the start to my every weekend, my every Shabbat.
My wishes never change… wishing you all a restful weekend and Shabbat Shalom.
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P.S…. and it will be my pleasure to welcome you to my Shabbat table if you’re in my neck of the woods
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P.P.S…. I HAD to change to new blogger today… HAD to… hmmm!!!!!
26 Responses to "PREPARING FOR THE QUEEN"
2 | ann
26 January 2007 at 14:59
Hi Bryde… I still shop as if I’m feeding an army… hard habit to get out of. The funny thing is no matter how much I cook, it still gets eaten… well you should see the size of me… hmmm!!! ;>)
3 | DewyKnickers
26 January 2007 at 15:19
(((Ann)))
Beautiful post for a beautiful lady. I will be honored to be a guest at your table when we are there with you.
Shabbat Shalom
Rose
4 | The Rev. Dr. Kate
26 January 2007 at 15:25
I am thinking of you enjoying your Shabat and celebrating. It is so beautiful and peaceful to be part of a Shabat mea. Rest assurred, that if I am in your neck of the woods, I am joining you and Rachel! Blessings to you and those you love, my friend.
P.S. And you didn’t fall into the void or anything changing blogger!
5 | Brian
26 January 2007 at 15:27
((((Ann)))
I am very grateful for your invitation and will accept with humble anticipation. May your evening be filled with love and blessings.
Love
6 | Bryde
26 January 2007 at 15:49
I understand the size thing Ann.I am 5 feet 4 inches tall and weigh (flinch) 180 pounds right now!Far too much but I am not irritated enough by it to do anything about it!I am getting there though,because I have less and less to wear as the months pass!
7 | FelineFrisky
26 January 2007 at 16:29
(((Ann)))
Thank you for the insight into your Friday celebration. It sounds so inviting, warm and peaceful. I am also looking forward to our time with you this fall. I am ever so excited!
Shabbat Shalom, dear friend.
PS – I thought the world was going to end when I switched over to NEW blogger. But nothing happened. Even now, the only difference is that posting is faster. So what? sigh…..
8 | ann
26 January 2007 at 16:30
(((Dewy))) … can’t wait
Kate … I would love you to be my guest and actually the move over wasn’t too painful
(((Brian))) … well if Dewy’s coming how could I leave you out?
Bryde … just tell me why did I just eat a spoon of peanut butter, true unsweetened, but … hmmm!
9 | ann
26 January 2007 at 16:32
(((Diane)))
you slipped in there while my back was turned…
well if Dewy and Brian are coming, you’ll be here too … brilliant … the more the merrier
mind you, if it’s a full house, it is not exactly peaceful… LOL
10 | samuru999
26 January 2007 at 16:46
Ann, thank you for this beautiful post!
The pictures are so very nice as always…such a cutie he is!
How wonderful it would be to celebrate Shabbat with you and your family… one never knows.
We do have plans of doing more traveling once our son is off to college…and he will be at college this coming Fall.
Maybe we will get over to visit merry old London!
I would love to meet you!
Wishing you and Rachel a blessed Shabbat Shalom!
Margie
xxxx
P.S About Blogger..I know I am going have to switch over soon.
How did it come about that you had to? And, when you made the switch, did it take place quickly?
I see everything is the same on your Blog though…for some crazy reason, I have this fear I’ll lose my blog if I make the change.
11 | ann
26 January 2007 at 16:50
Margie: I was able to post on London-Love and London-Love-Verse this morning as usual, yet I couldn’t get into old blogger for this one but it was instant and nothing changed. There are a few minor changes in the settings. I was really dragging my heels because this is not a blogger template, but it seems to be okay.
I thought all my blogs would update automatically but I think I have to do them one at a time.
13 | JoJo
26 January 2007 at 18:11
What beautiful traditions you have in your faith. I’ve been flirting with Wicca for awhile but I haven’t been able to force myself to make the time to perform rituals and traditions. Hubby is atheist but has often said if he had to choose a religion to follow, he’d pick the Jewish faith.
Have a fantastic weekend!
14 | G
26 January 2007 at 18:25
I can smell thec chicken soup and the challah from here. This was such a beautiful post Ann and really explained so well the celebration of Shabbat. I know for us it is the culmination of the week and the physical and emotional difference you feel when you finally sit down in the glow of the Shabbat candles is transforming.
Thanks for sharing your family’s shabbat with us and I extend the same invitation to you.
Shabbat Shalom Ann. XOX
15 | G
26 January 2007 at 18:27
By the way, the children are beautiful. I’ve had a tough week and did not make my way around much but I’m catching up.
Shabbat Shalom.
16 | Diane
26 January 2007 at 19:21
Thank you for the info Ann. It’s interesting to know how people go about celebrating the Jewish faith, but it seems rude to ask ;0)
Happy Weekend to you too!
17 | Val
26 January 2007 at 20:22
Such controversial pictures you post, Ann – I had to right click and tell them to display!
Good luck with Blogger Beta – for the most part I’ve found it an improvement.
18 | Claire
26 January 2007 at 23:36
Hey Ann, you made it to the other side! I love your posts regarding Jewish traditon. I was raised a Catholic and so I am being educated by you. I’ve always felt an affinity for Jews. I think I was a Russian Jew in a past life!
Thank you for this week’s lesson 🙂
19 | Riccie
27 January 2007 at 20:57
Made you switch, eh? I KNEW it wouldn’t be long. I suppose I will have to do so in the near future.
Should I find myself in your neck of the woods I would love to be a guest at your table. I really enjoy learning about the Jewish faith through you.
The kids are beautiful 🙂
Peace, my friend…
20 | bogusboobs
27 January 2007 at 23:35
Have a wonderful shabbos (did I say that right?). See you and those beautiful babies soon!
21 | GeL(emerald eyes)
28 January 2007 at 11:40
Warm post, Ann.
(Now I can link back here when asked questions about Shabbos/Shabbat, the holiest day of the week for Jews.)
I wondered if you find yourself mixing Hebrew pronunciations between “Shabbos and Shabbat” and “adenoi/adeni”? My parents spoke in the Ashkenazi pronunciation, but when I was a teen our Rabbi was a sabra so a mix occurred in our shul, as well as at home. I still find myself saying “Good Shabbos”, but “Shabbat Shalom.” (Yes, I eralize there are other words ending in that Hebrew letter that Shabbat/Shabbos ends in and that the pronunciation is also vowel oriented…) Just curious…although the sharing and observance of Shabbat does not matter upon how the word is pronounced.
The table set like royalty for the Shabbos Queen is so special. I recall, feeling proud and a bit feminist hearing that, although it was the women who were expected to cook and clean up…
To see your grandson with his father is wonderful. To be in Israel, is a dream of mine. Keep enjoying! 🙂
22 | Finn
28 January 2007 at 20:18
I think I would miss hallah if I went back to Scotland (although I’m sure I can find it if I look hard enough, especially in Glasgow).
By the way, I survived the very nontraditional Jewish wedding I went to a while back. Phew! 🙂
23 | DNY LOVES CRIMINAL MINDS
29 January 2007 at 04:48
Such lovely pictures of the grandbabies…talk with you soon.
24 | pinky
29 January 2007 at 05:58
Thank you so very much for sharing this!! A friend and I have been having religious discussions and I was telling her how much I have learned from you. You are such an amazing woman. HUGS and love to you!
25 | ann
29 January 2007 at 09:29
christine: hi welcome to my world
jojo: flirting… mmmmm
g: shavuah tov and I hope this shavuah is yoter tov
diane: never rude to ask, fire away
val: still navigating my way around
claire: well there’s certainly russian blood in me
riccie: peace to you too my friend
grace: glad you found your way back from disney
gel: yes I was brought up in the old ashkenazi way, but apart from lapsing into Good Shabbos, I mostly use the sephardi way since I speak a faltering Ivrit
finn: of course you survived the wedding, it was Israeli… lol
jill: we’ll catch up
pinky: I’m not that amazing… doh!
at home with ann 
26 January 2007 at 14:38
It MADE you switch?Gee,so much for choice.
I used to be a Seventh-Day Adventist.They followed Jewish Sabbat and food laws as well.It was difficult to do in my household but I did my best.There were other reasons I left that church,like pushing the “prophecy” of someone who was clearly NOT prophetic at all.It was the only church I was baptized in and the last church I was a…willing participant of.
That was,over 10 years ago.
But,I must admit I hate only cooking for two!I love to feed people and cook for them and often there is only me and Michael.But that’s okay,he eats enough for two himself!
Have a peaceful weekend Ann.