Introducing 3 New Fall Programs of Shabbat with Friends

וֶהֱוֵי מְקַבֵּל אֶת כָּל הָאָדָם בְּסֵבֶר פָּנִים יָפוֹת 

“Receive Every Human Being with a Warm Countenance” 

Vehevi mkabel et kol ha’adam bseber panim yafot.  

Attributed to Rabbi Shammai, Mishnah Pirkei Avot 1:15 

Dear Friends, 

I am happy to introduce 3 new programs to you in this eblast. Each of these enhance the experience of Judaism for people from diverse life situations and backgrounds.  

Taste of Shabbat 

With the Taste of Shabbat program, we offer a rich Shabbat home experience for people who have had little exposure to the 2000-year-old table fellowship traditions of the Jewish people. Consider inviting friends to join you at one of these narrated ritual meals. The Taste of Shabbat is our special outreach initiative to share our beautiful sacred meal practices with a wider audience.  

A Blessing on Your Head 

A few years ago when I was still a congregational rabbi, I utilized my knowledge of virtual online technology to bring far-flung families together to bless children prior to the onset of Shabbat on Friday afternoons. People loved it. One of our aims at Shabbat with Friends is to engender a love of Shabbat in Jewish households. This program meets that aim by offering a brief, loving, connecting traditional ritual of blessing children on the Sabbath eve. This program could be great for grandparents, adult children, or other relatives or dear friends you want to include. We also offer resources to families on how to introduce these loving traditions in-person at home.   

SWF Nigun Circle 

As many of you already know, I love to sing with others. I have a close connection with Joey Weisenberg and Hadar’s Rising Song Institute. Their new Hadar Community Groups grant offering gives SWF an opportunity to fully access the resources of Rising Song to foster inspired group singing for our community and for New Mexico in general. The grant is designed for a minimum of 8 people who will meet 8 times for the purpose of sharing and singing Nigunim-Jewish wordless spirituals. While I know that not everyone enjoys singing, this is a program for people to immerse themselves in the beauty and meditative quality of nigunim, old and new.   

I hope these initiatives along with our other programs offer significant ways to enhance and beautify your Jewish lives, especially during these stressful and worrisome times. I feel a great responsibility as a rabbi and community leader to continue to share the best of Judaism during a time of bitter polarization and division. I hope one of these initiatives touch your heart, give you solace, comfort and inspiration.   

Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Dov Gartenberg