The Sabbath Table
By Joy Scafide, LDA Co-Director
It was Friday afternoon and we were preparing for our Sabbath day. I turned on some music and began giving out cleaning assignments to everyone. My children are surprisingly helpful with cleaning on Fridays. They look forward to Sabbath days all week and their excitement as Friday rolls around is contagious. It’s reminiscent of Rob Muthiah’s book The Sabbath Experiment when he discusses the Jewish tradition of anticipating the Sabbath as a bride. In the same way that we look forward to seeing a bride come down the aisle, so we should look to the Sabbath with a spirit of celebration. This book has shaped how my husband and I began structuring our Sabbath days so with intentional changes we’ve instituted, my kids have picked up on the joy of a day of rest.
We hurried through the house, picking up the couch pillows, vacuuming under the table, and putting away the mound of shoes and coats that piled up around the door. They finished up their assigned chores as I began dinner. I tried to pull out all the stops for our special Friday meal by digging out my favorite dishes and glasses as the children happily attempted to fold the cloth napkins. I saved our most loved recipes for Friday and pulled out the dog-eared recipe cards for Dijon Chicken and Potatoes along with Balsamic Brussels Sprouts and got to work. Then I whipped up a Greek Salad and Dressing that I’ve memorized from making it so often.
The chicken finished baking in the oven and I chopped the last roma tomato for the salad while the children put away their tablets and turned off the tv. The food was dished out and my lower back thanked me as I sat down for the first time in hours. We flipped through our copy of The Sabbath Experiment to find Muthiah’s prayer included in the appendix. The sweetest part was praying over each child at the table. The boys smiled and sat up a little straighter as my husband walked around the table, laid his large hand on their little heads and prayed a special prayer to the Lord just for them. As we lit the candles to officially begin our Sabbath, the weight of all the tasks I still needed to finish lifted off my shoulders. I had God’s permission to rest, to stop, to take a break and enjoy my family.
And while the meal wasn’t perfect-someone dropped food on the floor, another tried eating dessert without utensils and there was at least one child who wasn’t happy with the green vegetables sitting on his plate-there was life and beauty in the imperfections. It was a time to look at all the blessings I have sitting around my table and breathe a prayer of thanks to God for the absolutely beautiful (if chaotic) life He’s given to me. I can honestly say without pausing for a Sabbath that Friday evening, I would have missed so many of those moments that make up a fulfilled life.
