Shabbat at the Center: How Will Shabbat at the Center Unfold?
See other blog posts:
Part 1: Some Changes in My Life
An Initiative of Shabbat with Friends NM
Shabbat at the Center reflects the distinctive vision of Shabbat with Friends. We do not aim to be a full-service Jewish organization or community. Instead, we are devoted to placing Shabbat at the heart of Jewish life. We collaborate with synagogues and other Jewish groups to offer a wide range of meaningful experiences and learning opportunities. Our mission is simple: to make Shabbat special in our lives.
Shabbat with Friends helps individuals, households, and communities cultivate the gifts and rhythms of the Sabbath. As Ahad Ha’am wrote, “More than the Jews kept the Shabbat, the Shabbat kept the Jews.” Inspired by this insight, we offer Shabbat as a way of life—a recurring day that deepens joy, enriches relationships, and nurtures loving connection. We see Shabbat as a time to cultivate transcendence, community, and self-understanding.
All our gatherings, study, conversation, and celebration take place on Shabbat. We do this because we believe the Sabbath is the core idea, insight, and experience of Judaism and the Jewish people. Each week, Shabbat with Friends offers multiple ways to experience Shabbat—feasts, table singing, Torah study, prayer, refined conversation, and heartfelt connection.
Beginning October 9–10, with Shabbat Bereshit (the first weekly portion in the Book of Genesis), we will launch Shabbat at the Center.
How Shabbat at the Center Works
On at least three Shabbats each month, Shabbat with Friends will host a variety of free, community-wide gatherings, circles, and programs. Below is a preview of the experiences we plan to offer:
SWF Musical Shabbat Gatherings
Hosted feasts featuring live music and group singing of Sabbath and Jewish folk melodies.
Minyan Midbar – Desert Minyan
Meets one Shabbat a month to daven (pray) and read publicly from the Shabbat with Friends Torah scroll. This independent prayer community is traditional, egalitarian, participatory, child-friendly, and welcoming to Jews of all backgrounds.
SWF Shabbat Circles
Smaller, more intimate groups that gather on Shabbat around shared interests or life stages. All circles are open to new participants. Examples include:
Nigun Song Circle: Singing and learning new Jewish melodies.
Young Family Shabbat Circle: Joyful Shabbat experiences for children and parents.
Torah with Friends Learning Circle: Engaging and stimulating Torah study.
Shabbat Beginners Circle: Learning home traditions—cooking, baking, ritual, hospitality, and spiritual practices—to make Shabbat beloved and meaningful.
NEW: Shabbat Conversations Circle: Rich, probing, illuminating conversations on important and timely topics at a Shabbat Table.
NEW: Shabbat Beginners Circle: Learning home traditions—cooking, baking, ritual, hospitality, and spiritual practices—to cultivate a love and meaningful Shabbat.
Shabbat at the Center begins the first Shabbat after the fall festivals—Friday evening, October 9, and Saturday until nightfall, October 10. Look for our next e-blast detailing the SWF Shabbat Menu for Shabbat Bereshit – Shabbat of the Beginning.
Feel free to contact me to learn how you can participate in Shabbat at the Center. We hope to earn your involvement, support, and contributions for this special approach to deepening and enriching Jewish life.
Moadim L'simcha, A season of joy,
Rabbi Dov Gartenberg
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