By Ashley Englander
It was a tight squeeze to fit around 50 adults into a small living room for Shabbat dinner. Nonetheless, the mystical feeling of Tzfat continued to loom in the air, and all of us were ready to take a rest from the week. Before Kiddush, Rav Noah started to bang on table with his fist. Each beat followed a note – the notes of Shabbat songs.
Shabbat songs are a favorite of mine, and they provide the atmosphere of festivities and love. On the other hand, we were anxious to eat Rav Noah’s wife’s homemade meal. As a vegetarian, I am always anxious of the options that will be presented at a Shabbat meal. Luckily, there were tons of delicious potatoes, rice, vegetables, challah, juice, and hummus. Fortunately the food was hot to warm up our bodies after being in the rain, and it warmed up our souls while in this magical city.
During the meal Rav Noah decided to enlighten us with his d’var on the week’s Torah portion. While he spoke, the room became silent. Every single one of us was intrigued on his commentary on the parshat. Afterwards he called my name out, “Ashley, I found that answer to why we use animal skin when making t’fillin.” As a vegetarian, I get asked why I chose this diet. One of my reasons is that animals have souls according to Judaism, and especially kabbalah, so I do not want to sacrifice a soul for my enjoyment, when I can receive food from different sources. His response brought me comfort, and eased my animal-rights-activist side.
Friday night Shabbat dinner has always been a favorite of mine. It was an honor to enjoy it in my favorite city, and with all my friends.
