I’ve been thinking a lot about resolutions lately. I like that the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah, usually coincides with the beginning of the school year. Even though I’m neither in school nor teaching, it’s nice to feel that fresh start in the fall.
But it’s for the secular new year that I really make resolutions. There’s a few that are always the same–eat better, spend less, lose weight, watch less television… but each year I come up with one or two that are specific to that year. For this year, I’ve found that my almost-weekly Friday Night blog entries are actually becoming a source of inspiration. I’ve written a few times about how I wish I could actually pull off a more traditional Shabbat dinner (and as I’ve said, we’re not talking anything majestic here–some chicken, a few sides). And when I say traditional, I mean that all three of us actually sit down at the table at the same time and share a meal.
That’s all I wish for.
But our timing is often off, or I haven’t made it to the grocery store, or we’d just prefer to make the baby some mac and cheese and get some take-out mediterranean food for ourselves later.
So here’s my resolution. Once a month, we will have Shabbat dinner. It doesn’t have to all be homemade, nor does it have to be what I think of as a traditional Shabbat dinner (chicken). It doesn’t have to involve a white tablecloth or dressing up. It does need all three of us. It needs some candles, wine, and challah. And it needs to have a meal that we all eat together. And a moment for my husband and me to think of a special blessing for our daughter. After that, life can descend back into chaos. But I resolve to do this once a month. And then we’ll see where we go from there.
What are YOUR resolutions?
Happy new year, and Shabbat shalom!
