Sharing the Love of Shabbat

Chabad of Mid-Suffolk has launched the third year of it's "I Love Shabbat" program.
 
In an era when family time is rare and the concept of coming together for a nice close knit meal is foreign, Chabad of Mid-Suffolk, based in Commack, has started its third year of the highly popular I Love Shabbat program. Started in 2010, each week volunteers fan out in the local community and bring the traditional Shabbat foods to homes to help celebrate the Jewish day of rest.
 
“People may be scared to do the Shabbat meal since it might seem too detail oriented or religious”, said Director Rabbi Mendel Teldon. “In this package we give them the basic ingredients to pull off a great spiritual and family experience in the comfort of their home.”
 
The Sabbath was just hours away when Commack resident Peggy Coburn heard her doorbell ring. When she opened the door, she was greeted by neighbors, the smell of freshly-baked challah, and a package containing candles, grape juice and a guide on Shabbat observance. For her, the delivery from her local Chabad-Lubavitch center was an eye-opener.
 
“Conventional wisdom says that you can’t expect [anything] to come knocking on your door anymore," she Coburn. “Then my doorbell rang. Shabbat came knocking at my door in the form of two friendly faces bringing me Shabbat in a bag. It sounds corny, but to me, it felt like a miracle.”
 
Conceived by local resident Mark Teitelbaum during a brainstorming session with Teldon on how to reach families in the area, the distributions brought spiritual care packages to more than 500 households.
 
“Challah triggers a lot of good feelings, good memories,” said Teitelbaum, who came up with the idea when he remembered the nostalgia triggered years ago when Teldon gave him loaves of the hand-baked bread.

“We wanted to give these families a chance to reconnect with Shabbat through these packages.”

Each week, organizers collect 50 family names from nominations from past recipients and local listings. They sent postcards notifying recipients of the impending deliveries and at the end of the week, volunteers take the packages to each address. Many noted how the program brought them together as a family.
 
“The program really made us more cognizant that it was Friday night, that Shabbat is here and that it is something to be celebrated as a joint activity, as a family,” said Melinda Moss.
The volunteers were also touched. “It feels good to know that those 10 to 15 families I visited got a little taste of Shabbat." said Melissa Zoly, “They’ll shut off the television and spend some time together.”
According to Teldon, the campaign’s goal was to emphasize the home-based quality of Shabbat observance.
 “We wanted to show these families that Judaism isn’t only celebrated with the rabbi in the synagogue,” he said, “but that Judaism can be made beautiful in your own home.” Teitelbaum emphasized that the deliveries allowed people to approach the holy day on their terms. “You don’t have to be intimidated or embarrassed,” he said. “It’s all done in the privacy of your own home.”
 
To request a Shabbat package please go to www.ChabadMidSuffolk.com or contact Chabad of Mid Suffolk, 543-3343.