Reflecting On a Year of Shabbat

One of the most important priorities for Kadima has always been to put the needs of our students first. The past few years gave us an unexpected opportunity to reevaluate how we do just that, as we considered new possibilities of communal engagement and learning alongside the larger BJ community. Through all the shifts brought about during our months at home, one key tenet remained true: Shabbat is an anchor for our community and for the Jewish people. Whether in person, online, in Central or Riverside Park, or in our Sanctuary on 88th Street, finding pathways to rejoice on Shabbat with our families and community is more than just a priority—it is a necessity.

Families are always telling us that relationships are the heart of what we at BJ do best, and Shabbat is the most fruitful time for relationship forming and building. Our understanding that coming together on Shabbat is the essence of the BJ community sparked a curiosity: How can we create a meaningful relationship between Shabbat, education, and family connection?

Time and time again our work has demonstrated that authentic experiences and learning by doing are the most effective forms of education. With that in mind, we created the Shabbat Model for Kadima@BJ to provide students and families with authentic experiences of Jewish life to foster learning and connection. This new model brings our families together in community on Shabbat, celebrating its beauty and peacefulness with prayer and music.

The Shabbat Model requires families to participate in two Shabbatot at BJ per month, either on Friday nights or Saturday mornings, based on their preference. By being together on the BJ campus, families get to experience the joy and pride of Shabbat while developing relationships with peers, staff, and the larger community. On Fridays, families engage with learning centered around the Kabbalat Shabbat prayers in order to create a foundation for their service experience. On Saturdays, our learning is centered around the weekly Torah portions, as we wrestle with key ideas to understand its relevance to modern day.

Now that the Shabbat Model program is in full swing, the community response to it has been beyond my wildest dreams. “I love the sequence of it all—the intimate learning and music, sitting together at the service, meeting new and connecting with families during the meal, and kid game time,” said one regular family participant. “It feels like a mini-retreat under the BJ roof.”

As a staff person watching from the outside as families connect with Shabbat and with each other, it has been incredibly satisfying to watch a passion project come to life. Even more so, watching students dance in the aisles and participate willingly in Shabbat services is everything you hope for as an educator.

Families have spent Friday nights learning all about the various components of Kabbalat Shabbat, which consists of six psalms (prayer-poems) leading up to Lekha Dodi and then two ending psalms.

Each of the first six can be seen as a guide through the past week, leading up to Shabbat. These psalms allow us to reflect on what has passed as we look towards Shabbat. As a culmination of our year of Shabbat together, families wrote their own psalms reflecting on their Shabbat journey as a family.

Read the Psalms Written by Shabbat Model Families