A couple of months back, I read about the Jewish meal of Shabbat and how many Christians celebrate it. Because of how incredible we thought it was, we decided to start incorporating it into our lives. We don't follow it precisely, nor have we been able to have it every week. It has come to be something we really enjoy and look forward to sharing together.
The Shabbat meal is a meal that Jewish families traditionally celebrate each week the evening before the Sabbath. The women work hard all day to prepare a meal before sundown (by Jewish law- but we usually are eating WELL past then :>)). It is the nicest meal and the most special time of the week for Jewish families. It is when the fine china and clean table cloths come out.
At the meal, the woman of the house lights two candles on the table. One stands for "remembrance" and the other for "observance". This is a time when the family can remember and observe all of God's blessings upon the family, and recognize his protection, provision, and hand in their lives- which the Bible tells us all to do. The reason the woman lights the candles is because she is supposed to be the one who brings "warmth" to the home.
The woman prepares a special bread called "hallah". It is an eggie bread that is twisted into three strands. There are 2 separate pieces. This stands for the double portion of manna that God provided on Fridays before the sabbath while the Israelites were in the desert. I decided to begin with basic bread making since I had never done that before. I made regular sweet white bread. I plan on learning to make the "hallah" bread eventually. For Christians who celebrate the meal, the three stranded bread stands for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The bread is usually broken, not cut- because Jesus' body was broken for us on the cross.
There is also a time of washing the hands. That is when a bowl and towel are passed and each person washes their hands. It is symbolic of having a pure heart before God. This is a time of apologies if any ill words were spoken in the family throughout the week- a time of making sure the heart is right before the Lord. I have to admit that this felt a little weird when we did it the first time. But now, the kids insist on doing it. Josiah actually wanted to speak and apologize for fighting with his brother. He never actually got to spit it out because he got embarrassed. Nonetheless, I think it is a neat way for everyone to feel like they can be open- and it shouldn't feel weird.
After the meal the father speaks blessings over his children. It is no wonder that people of the Jewish nation grow up to be successful in all parts of the world. Besides the fact that God's hand is on them, blessings are spoken over them throughout their entire lives. Kids usually rise to meet what the are called. (stupid-bad-or succesful) I have read about how the Jewish children deeply cherish this time of week. It is something they look forward to with vigor. Danny prays over the boys. He prays for them to fulfill the calling God has for them. He prays health over them, and prays for any present goal or hurdle we might be working through.
Usually at this time, the husband blesses his wife. This is found in Proverbs 31. He basically traditionally just praises his wife for being wonderful! (sounds good, huh?) Danny usually prays blessings for me as well. Then, the wife blesses the husband...
My china had gotten so dusty and now I have a reason to pull it out! It is really fun and rewarding to have a time where you are able to just reflect on the last week, and thank God for all of the ways you see Him moving. We don't do it on the same night each week- and it isn't like we follow it to the letter; But what could be more exciting than the family actually enjoying coming together to praise God, and thank for Him for one another?
I will include pics when I get a camera. hehe
4 comments:
Wow, sounds awesome. That would be neat to keep as something for them to grow up doing. Super Neat!
That sounds like a great family tradition to start. Thanks for sharing!
I don't know that I could be consistent with it (especially since we have church on Sat nights now), but it's a cool idea. Good stuff for the kids to look back and remember. :)
I absolutely love this idea. We've always insisted on eating meals as a family (which so many families don't do) but this is just another extension of that- I love the purposefulness of it. And what an amazing thing to speak blessings over one another at a time in our lives when we are all so busy and forget to say the things that really matter. You've got my wheels turning, thank you! :)
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