A weekly thought from Rabbi Mendy

BH Week of Parshat Beshalach 5786– January 30, 2026
“Rabbi, can you describe what Friday night looks like?”
Someone asked me that not long ago.
I tried to explain it simply.
After finishing the special Shabbat prayer, we go home.
There are already candles lit, the table is set, and the atmosphere feels different.
The whole family sits down together.
We make Kiddush — we take a cup of wine, say a blessing, and drink it.
Then we wash our hands and eat a special bread called challah.
During the meal, the children share what they learned that week in school or preschool.
Sometimes they talk about the weekly Torah portion.
Sometimes they just talk about something small that happened to them.
The father asks questions, the mother listens with interest.
“And what else?” he asked curiously.
“Do you watch a movie while you eat?”
On Shabbat, we don’t watch anything.
It’s just us — and the family.
This Saturday, in the synagogue, we read in the Torah about a new beginning.
After hundreds of years of hard labor in Egypt, the Jewish people finally leave
and begin their journey in the desert.
In those first moments of freedom, Moses, the leader, gives the people several laws.
One of the most special is Shabbat.
One day each week when we stop.
Why is Shabbat so important that it was given at the very beginning?
Shabbat is not only a break from work.
Shabbat creates a protected space for family.
During the week, everyone is busy.
Work, school, errands, screens.
Each person is focused on their own world.
But on Friday night, everyone comes together around the same table.
That time around the Shabbat table
is what holds the family connection together.
Sometimes we feel it, and sometimes we don’t,
but it gives stability and strength for the entire week.
That is why Shabbat was one of the very first things given to the Jewish people.
Shabbat — especially the shared time around the table —
is one of the most important ways we protect family life,
the connection between parents and children,
and the warmth of a Jewish home.
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