The Modern Jewish Mom's Guide to Shabbat: Connect and Celebrate--Bring Your Family Together with the Friday Night Meal

by Meredith L. Jacobs

Bringing the family together every Friday night for the Shabbat meal has helped many families connect with each other, even as children grow into their teens and beyond. Having experienced the joys of Shabbat and witnessed how it has brought her family together, Meredith L. Jacobs now brings us THE MODERN MOM'S GUIDE TO SHABBAT. Written in conversational style from one modern Jewish mom to another, THE MJM'S GUIDE will be funny and warm, brightly colored and easy to read, filled with delicious, easy recipes and family art projects, while also challenging readers with summaries of the weekly Torah portion and suggested family discussion topics, compelling readers to include discussion in their dinner as a vehicle for connecting with their children–both teaching and learning from them. It will be informative and accessible throughout. Shabbat is a wonderful way to ensure that in this day of ridiculous schedules and pressures, that we have at least one meal per week together as a family. Shabbat is the time we turn the outside world away and connect with each other. Unlike other holidays, Shabbat is not once a year, it's once a week, giving us fifty–two chances a year to connect with our children. Whether you are reform, conservative, or modern orthodox, newly converted or non–Jewish in an inter–faith marriage, THE MODERN JEWISH MOM'S GUIDE TO SHABBAT will teach us about traditions, making new ones, and most importantly, how to connect with our children.

Genres: Nonfiction, Jewish, Judaism, Religion, Parenting, Judaica, Food

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2007

About the author

from Publisher's Weekly.com

Suburban Mom Offers Fun Way into Sabbath Observance
by David Klinghoffer, Religion BookLine
February 21, 2007


For most American Jews, Sabbath observance--including the once-cherished Friday night Sabbath meal--largely went out the window in the 20th century. Meredith L. Jacobs would like to help restore the lost institution with a sprightly new book, The Modern Jewish Mom's Guide to Shabbat: Connect and Celebrate—Bring Your Family Together with the Friday Night Meal (HarperCollins, Feb.).

A suburban Maryland wife and mother, Jacobs grew up without traditional Sabbath observances, and says of herself even now, "I'm not shomer Shabbos"–meaning Sabbath-observant–"but in the book I talk about how the more I learn, the more I want to do" in embracing other Jewish traditions.

Jacobs finds meaning in the link the Sabbath gives her with the Jewish people, past and future. When she lights Sabbath candles on Friday night, "I feel connected to every Jewish woman who has ever been and will ever be," she said.
The book includes chapters on creating the right Sabbath mood, another on recipes, along with a selection of discussion topics for the family based on the weekly Torah reading.

That may sound like serious stuff, but neither Jacobs nor her publisher wanted to create another somber Judaica title. "It's really fun. It's really cute," said Jacobs of the book's cheerful, colorful packaging. "I can't wait to see it on the Judaism shelf with all those brown and black covers. It's hot pink!"

And a book, perhaps, with an appeal even outside the Jewish community? "In our first meeting with her, I remember thinking, 'I wish I was Jewish because this sounds terrific,'" recalled Jennifer Hart, v-p and associate publisher for Harper Paperbacks. She said the book will publish initially with a 12,500-copy printing, bolstered with targeted advertising to Jewish publications and trifold author business cards including a Jewish Sabbath prayer.

It's not unthinkable that the book could interest Christian readers looking for ways to incorporate Jewish customs into their spiritual lives–a significant phenomenon in some Christian circles.

Reviews

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

okay--I wrote this one! Of course I'm giving it top marks!!!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Christian raised in a protestant evangelical home, this is the last book you'd probably expect me to read. But a couple years ago my father and lita (grandmother)were working on family genealogy and discovered that we may well have Sephardic Jewish roots and our ancestors moved to Mexico and "converted" to Catholicism after being kicked out of Spain. Our surnames are Sephardic in origin, many of our family crests have stars of David on them, and some of our family traditions are rooted in Sephardic traditions - including the way we make buneulos every year at Christmas. Buneulos are traditional Sephardic Hanukkah fare. Since then I have wanted to learn more about Jewish traditions and see how I might incorporate them into my modern life and faith. This book is wonderful for that. Reading it has been so touching and I've felt like I missed out on some special family times and traditions that modern American protestants just don't really have anymore. I also loved that the book included Sephardic as well as Ashkenazi traditions. I checked it out from the library, but I'm adding it to my wishlist, because I'd love to have a copy of my own.

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

After spending my 20s largely rejecting my Jewish upbringing, I found this book in the years when my children were elementary aged & I felt a pull to teach them the old ways so they could know where they come from (& give them something to reject in their own 20s maybe 😂). I found this book at exactly the right time & felt it was so gentle & encouraging to busy moms…just do what you can and build on it. What began as just lighting candles ended up with baking challah from scratch & some lovely relaxing shabbos dinners with my little family, memories that I treasure now that those little kids are grown (& actually not rejecting any of it, maybe we did something right?). Anyway, highly recommend, perhaps especially for women raised in more frum families of origin who want to take it down a notch and find something that resonates more deeply for them. Shabbat Shalom, sisters 💗

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful book on celebrating Shabbat with kids that focuses on the spirit of the day instead of halacha. Reform and less observant Conservative Jews will find a lot to love, but traditional Jews can benefit from it, too (Jacobs usually mentions when a suggestion involves melacha). I am definitely going to start making French toast on Sunday mornings from leftover challa. One improvement I think could be made is greater inclusion of moms who don't have a husband (whether single or in a same-sex partnership).

[Tatiana Gomez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really great book about Shabbat in modern Jewish homes, Jacobz is lighthearted, enthusiastic, and encouraging.

This book is excellent about offering practical advice like recipes, multitasking lists, and all the necessary transliterated blessings, while also sprinkling bits and pieces of deeper Jewish theology like the duality of Sabbath and its importance as a cultural cornerstone. I also really appreciated Jacobs' own Parashat notes--they hit all the right points, made me really think, and included questions appropriate for all ages. I took quite a few of my own notes! It also has a great biblography for further reading on Jewish life and homemaking, recipes, theology, Shabbat and others.


Some readers may object to her unorthodox suggestions(like having Shabbat whenever the family can get together on Friday night, not necessarily eighteen minutes before sunset) but others will appreciate her for it. Also, this is not an advanced text so if you already have your own standard traditions this likely won't add too much. However, I've been doing a version of Shabbat for a year and still found new information so there are some unique pieces.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

You don't have to be a mom to love this book. It's simple enough to teach the basics of Shabbat to parents, children, AND anyone who's curious about celebrating Shabbat and bringing the family together. An easy and fun read.

[Bear · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the idea that more people are coming back to a stricter observance of shabbat. I really think it helps with all the stress build up we experience. More people, not just Jews, should take a day to just Rest. It's good for you. Really.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have it from a good friend that this is a neat book and worth 5 stars.

[Anna Reed]

So far I LOVE this book! Full of insight into incorporating quality, spiritual time into your family life.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book! Great recipes and great ideas. Now I want to make my own challah bread every Friday! (just have to find the time)

[Rebecca Einstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for EVERY Jewish home!

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun approach to shabbat--we used a sense of community to build shabbat but this is another approach

[Jennifer Cassell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful lessons and ideas about how to incorporate Shabbat in your family's life.