There’s a custom in the Diamond house, and it happens every Friday night. It’s something we take very seriously. You may know it as something we Jews are very good at – eating.
Shabbat (Sabbath) dinner started thirty years ago in our household. It always begins with candle lighting. Minutes before sundown, the women in our house gather to light candles – there’s a prayer for that, and we sing it.
On to mealtime. Always fresh-baked challah bread straight from the oven, always grape juice for me, always a Shabbat scotch for my husband, David. The rest of the food and drink varies.
Our beloved custom is filled with prayers and rituals to feed our souls. Delicious meals to feed our bodies. And good conversation to feed our minds. But it’s the people around the table that matter. It’s the love that’s truly nourishing.
When I think back on the people who graced our table in years past, I’m thinking of family members we love and loved ones we lost—friends who remain a part of our life and those who drifted away.
Mostly, I remember our noisy, not so well behaved children...read more
