Hospitality should be inherent to the entire idea of honoring Shabbat. Here at Shir Ami, we take this commandment to heart.

Shabbat evening can be a very special and wonderful time of the week when we mark it by reciting blessings, singing Shabbat songs, telling stories and, best of all, sharing a Shabbat meal with friends and family.  Of course, that’s not always easy.  We may not know the blessings or all of the songs.  And sometimes, we don’t have friends or family nearby with whom to share our Shabbat dinner table.

This is precisely why Shir Ami decided to start something new.  Earlier this year, we began bringing folks together to share Shabbat dinner.  Families come first to services at 6:15 PM and meet up with your Shabbat dinner companions, then return to your “host home” for dinner, blessings and conversation.  We think this will be a wonderful opportunity to meet new people and renew old acquaintance with friends, all-around a shared Shabbat experience.

We know it takes a little courage — and some warmth and friendliness — but we know you’ve got that!  We also know this will be a wonderful way to make Shabbat evening special.  We will help you with the blessings and songs.  We’ll even help you with menu suggestions if you’ve never tried this before.  If money is an issue, as it often is, and you would like to host such a Shabbat dinner, our clergy will be happy to subsidize your efforts.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

We are asking members to let us know if you would be willing to host two or more individuals at your Shabbat table — or if you’d like to be invited to meet new people and share Shabbat with one of our host families.  If you are interested in either hosting or attending such a Shabbat dinner experience, please contact Marilyn Halpern at smhalpern@comcast.net or 215-321-0408.

We hope this will promote something wonderful that will become a special part of congregational life here at Shir Ami, and something we can celebrate in this way again and again in the future.