20 Tips to Simplify Shabbat Prep

When I first started keeping Shabbat Fridays were a bit overwhelming. The afternoons were a flurry of getting things cleaned, and cooking up a huge amount of food, and, oh no, I need to run to the store. That was really frustrating to me, especially since I was used to Fridays being the happy weekend kick off of relaxation and free time. It felt a little backwards when it became my busiest day of the week. And that's because it takes practice to learn to rest well. If you're not used to preparing ahead of time for a day of no work, that honestly is a bit tricky until you're good at it. But things will get better! 

If you're in the stage where preparing for Shabbat is frustrating and overwhelming -- keep practicing! You will get there. With each week that goes by, preparing for the Sabbath gets easier. It's natural now to look ahead and anticipate what our needs will be on Shabbat, and planning for those needs is no longer the chore that it was. Here are a few tips that I've learned to have a less hectic day on Friday and more peace on Shabbat.

20 Tips for Simpler Shabbat Preparation

1. Prepare your heart first. Why have you decided to honor the Sabbath day? Did you feel the Holy Spirit leading you? Did you and your spouse decide to be obedient to YHWH's instructions? Have you decided to let go of traditions to try things the Savior's way? It's important to remind yourself of that when the week is hectic and you start to feel overwhelmed. 

2. Plan ahead. Almost everyone who participated in our Shabbat Survey mentioned how much easier things are to get done when you get a jump-start Thursday or Wednesday or even before. Having a plan can alleviate the stress of 'it's-Friday-afternoon-and-I'm-not-ready.' Having even just one thing done going into Friday makes things feel much more under control. Maybe that's getting groceries on Monday, jotting down a to do list, or filling up on gas after work on Thursday.

3. Make note of anything that needs done before Shabbat. If you are a list writer, jot down what for sure needs done ahead of time. Not just meal prep for the Sabbath, also consider upcoming bills that need paid or library books to be returned. Are you low on diapers or medication? Will you need to get gas so you can make it to congregation? Having it written down means we are more likely to remember it.

4. Recognize that things don't need to be elaborate. YHWH does not require us to have spotless homes, four course dinners, or candles lit to welcome Shabbat, so feel free to simplify! If there is one specific thing that helps you to rest well, focus on that and let go of the others.

5. Have a go to Shabbat meal on hand. Despite our best plans and intentions there are going to be times that things get away from us. Having non-perishables or slow to perish items on hand to serve keeps us from violating Shabbat when that happens. Here are some ideas for stocking your pantry for Shabbat prep.

6. Learn to rest when everything isn't perfect.  We are not asked to have everything in order or all our to-do list items checked off before Shabbat. Make rest the goal, instead of a spotless home or traditional rituals. Simplifying our expectations allows us to enjoy the simple things instead of obsessing over how things could be in a perfect world.

7. Know some quick last minute snacks to prepare. It takes just a minute to blend up some yogurt and fruit and pour it into a popsicle mold for a great snack the next day. The same for kosher gelatin. Most of those recipes are just letting them chill. These recipes are great to turn to when Shabbat is closing in and the fridge is less than filled.

8. Divide tasks among family members. You don't have to do this by yourself. Assign appropriate tasks for each person in your household to have done by the end of the week. Everyone in the family can have different cleanup jobs, dad can be in charge of grilling for dinner or picking up pizza, and a younger child can pick out which Bible story to read on Shabbat.

9. Figure out what works for you. I have seen several lists of how to get ready for Shabbat, and they are mostly things that would not fit in my life at all. Setting the dining room table for Shabbat dinner the Sunday before? Mine gets used for projects all week long, so that's out. Taking Friday afternoon off? Not usually an option. But if that helps you get ready, then go for it! There is not a right or wrong way to prepare for a day off; decide what works in your schedule and go from there.

10. Log off digitally before Shabbat. Signing out of social media lessens distractions on preparation day, making it easier to get the menial tasks out of the way and to spiritually prepare ourselves. Switching your email to 'off' after work on Friday can become a habit that says, "time to get ready for Shabbat."

11. Grill for Friday evening dinner. You've spent the day scrubbing the dishes and cleaning house. What's more frustrating than kicking off Shabbat with a sink load of dirty pots and pans? Grilling part of your meal can cut down on things to clean up afterwards.

12. Use glass, Pyrex type containers. Having my Shabbat foods stored in glass, oven-proof containers makes things easier in a couple of ways. These can double as serving dishes and go into the oven for foods I am reheating. After our meal I can put the lid back on and store it, without any extra cleanup. 

13. Have a special Sabbath basket for kids. Fill it with Shabbat appropriate books, games, and movies so that children can learn which activities are appropriate for the set apart day. This can also make the day more restful to you, as bored children can be sent to the basket to find something to do.

14. Surround yourself with reminders. Write in your planner, put a Scripture on the importance of honoring Shabbat on your bathroom mirror, or schedule reminders in your phone. This brings to mind that Shabbat is coming and we are to be ready for it.

15. Have a potluck meal. If you know like-minded believers or are involved in a congregation consider hosting a covered dish meal on Shabbat. It is much easier to prepare one or two things for a group meal than to do each thing yourself.

16. Empty the dishwasher. I like to have my dishwasher emptied going into the set apart day so that dirty dishes can be placed inside the next day. Another idea would be using paper products to cut down on cleanup.

17. Use a slow cooker and consider a second one. It's hard to get much more convenient than coming home from congregation to a hot meal at the ready, where you have nothing to do but dish it up. I've also heard a couple of people say they like having two so they can have a hot breakfast, and lunch, or lunch, and dinner ready to go.

18. Double recipes throughout the week. This is a great way to have food prepared ahead of time without the extra time commitment of setting aside Thursday evening or Friday afternoon. Make an extra large pot of soup on Tuesday or grill extra chicken Thursday to get a jump start on meals for the Sabbath.

19. Have books and study materials on hand. In addition to copies of Scripture, consider expanding your resource library to assist with your studies on Shabbat. A designated shelf of books can be a place to head on the rest day when you are looking for something to do or want to learn more. This is especially important if you don't attend a congregation. It eliminates the what am I going to do tomorrow question.

20. Remember you don't have to get everything done! When Shabbat comes what's done is done and that's enough. Things can wait. It really is okay to rest while the kitchen is messy and the laundry isn't done, in fact YHWH requires us to. Rest now and take care of the what remains later.

Related posts:
Sabbath Prep and the Idol of Cleanliness
The No Stress Guide to Sabbath Meals
Five Ways to Have a More Peaceful Sabbath

In Remembrance of Messiah - Passover Pictures

It's If you follow me on Instagram you may have already seen a few of sneak peeks of my congregation's Passover meal. And speaking of Instagram, in the past week or so more than 30,000 photos have been posted under #passover. 30,000! Isn't that crazy?! I love checking out Passover photos and would love to see yours! Tag me or send some my way. :)

We had 16 people in attendance for our Seder. This worked perfectly for a square set up of regular folding tables with four people seated on each side.

We had a worship time before the meal with live music. That's not something we have each week at Shabbat service so it was extra special to us.

We did the traditional four cups of wine. To simplify things, we pour the first cup before the service begins.

Our Passover is not as complicated as most, so we stick with a one page overview of the evening instead of a textbook Haggadah.

Homemade matzah! I know I've said this many times, but this seriously ups the quality of the meal. If making it is an option, I would encourage you to give it a try!

Daffodils just started blooming here a few days before Passover!

Wondering what the colored pencils are for? We made a custom coloring page.

Not everyone made a lot of progress on theirs. haha As you can see this was more geared towards adult doodling that a children's coloring book. 

The matzah pinata of course came along; I'm not sure I will ever bring myself to destroy it. haha I made a few of these banners with different Passover related verses. Above the buffet said, "Eat to remember this," (Deuteronomy 16:3).

Reading the story of Israel. We also five lit menorahs - so beautiful!

This picture really symbolizes this year's Passover: a team effort. Many people contributed to make this a lovely and meaningful evening for all. One person brought the dishes, another made the napkins, another supplied silverware, someone else purchased and brought the glasses. Another picture of Paul speaking of the body of Messiah.

Part of our buffet. Our meal was basically the same elements as the Seder plate, plus a few more vegetables.

Menu:

Smoked lamb marinated in balsamic vinegar, garlic, and rosemary
Einkorn matzah
Romaine salad with peppers, cucumbers, and kalamata olives

Baked charoset with apples and apricots

Roasted root vegetables

Two types of hummus with lots of fresh veggies

Hard boiled eggs

Tabbouli salad of parsley and lemon

Kalamata olive tapenade

Coconut yogurt tzatziki

Something we decided to do this year was ask everyone to bring plenty of food so there would be leftovers to share. The day after Passover is a no-work day and it was so nice to be able to take delicious, kosher, organic food home for meals!

I think this is one of our best Passover meals yet.

We had two special attendees with us via Facetime. They live in the south so they were able to enjoy their Seder outside.

About to enjoy the third cup of my homemade, homegrown grape juice.
Matzah ring tutorial here.

Dessert is served: three types of cheesecake with mixed berries, chocolate, ganache, and whipped cream.

We love pavlova for Passover dessert but since it had been raining we decided to go with cheesecake. It's hard to go wrong with cheesecake and these were excellent.

Thanks so much to everyone who contributed to make this set apart time special! 

Torah Observant Travel

Did you know that Scripture is pro traveling? What started with Adam and Eve moving out of the garden later turned into Abraham leaving his country, the exodus from Egypt, and requiring the Israelites to be in Jerusalem for the feasts of Shavuot, Sukkot, and Unleavened Bread. We've also heard of infant Yahusha fleeing his homeland to the safety of Egypt, and of course his famous words, "Go into all nations." While we think of travel being limited before cars and airplanes there is plenty of evidence of Israelite exploration in North America during the reign of King Solomon. Paul not only preached the good news in Israel, but also in Syra, Turkey, Greece, Italy, and possibly Spain and Britain!

So if you are taking vacation or having a getaway this summer you are in good company. As Daniel showed us, we are to keep YHWH's instructions even in place where that is not easy or convenient. Do you want to do this? Because if so, you will need to plan your life around keeping the commandments. It's not realistic or wise to schedules or lives and then try and squeeze in Torah observance. Set yourself up for success by learning to plan your days around YHWH's instructions, including when you are away from home.

How to observe Torah while traveling:

-Pay attention to the calendar. Before you buy tickets or make reservations double check when the feast days are and consider if you want to be out of town during those special times. If you go somwhere for Sukkot, think about planning your stay and actitivies around the no-work days.

-Consider where you will stay. Particularly if you are planning on celebrating a feast while away you will want to have space to do so, whether by staying at a campsite or renting a house or small cottage. Will you need to have a place with at least a small kitchen? Will you need to find a place to go on the Sabbath?

-Let your hosts know. If you're staying with friends or relatives make sure they are aware that you don't eat pork or shellfish (it's also a good idea to let them know what you DO eat), and let them know that Shabbat is a set apart day for you, and what that looks like. Having expectations set up front will make things easier for everyone.

-Look ahead. Before you leave do a little research on the area you will be in. Is there a congregation you can attend on Sabbath? Are there any restaurants that look like they would be friendly with a Biblically clean diet? When I spent Sukkot with Torah to the Tribes I was able to visit a sukkah exhibit at the Oregon Jewish Museum. You might be unexpectedly surprised about what's going on at your destination.

-Pack snacks. Having food to eat when you're hungry is just about the handiest thing ever. This goes even for a day trip. You spent more time at the museum than anticipated, your flight was delayed, the place you planned on eating closed early. You're stuck in traffic. Odds are someone will get hungry and there won't be anything handy nearby. Have at least a few things to eat in case you can't find anything Biblically clean and healthy. It will save lots of headache and frustration, not to mention money and time. Airlines will let you take solid food (sandwiches, trail mix, apples, carrot sticks, etc.) which will be considerably better quality and less expensive than what most airports have available.

-Look for vegetarian restaurants. When you're on a Biblically clean diet vegetarian food is miraculous! No need to worry about cross contamination or what's in something. If that's not an option look for places that are vegetarian friendly. Most restaurants have their menus online so you can see what your options are ahead of time. Restaurants that accommodate vegetarian and special-needs diets are typically your best bet to eat at to get Biblically clean food, as the wait staffs are typically more informed about ingredients and the chefs are used to adjusting things when needed.

-Where will you be on Shabbat? If no congregation is to be found or if the service is short, will you want to spend the rest of the day in a hotel room? Look for a beach or park area or other free place to visit to spend time on the Sabbath. If you are able to find a congregation to attend, call ahead and see if they have a meal after service that you can attend.

-Shop ahead of time. If you are going to be out of town for Sabbath you will need to make your purchases before it starts, just as you would at home. That includes buying food to eat on the Sabbath, and getting gas if needed. You'll also want to think about if you want to check into your hotel before Sabbath if that's where you are staying.

-Pack a cooler. This is a must if you are staying somewhere without a fridge! On Friday you can get ice and pack a Shabbat picnic for the next day.

-Think about when you will travel. Personally, I don't think there is anything wrong with driving a car on the Sabbath. Without driving attending congregation wouldn't be feasible for most of our members, so I think that's a positive thing. That said, there is a big difference between driving 20 minutes to attend Shabbat service versus a fifteen hour drive to get to vacation, which isn't exactly restful. The same for air travel, which can be physically exhausting for passengers.

-What time is it there? If you will be switching time zones be aware of what time it will be there when you arrive and when the Sabbath or feasts start at your destination.

-Take your Bible. Being on vacation doesn't mean Scripture studies should be put on hold. That might look a little different than at home but deliberately making study time part of your trip is one of the best things you can do for your time away. You will also want to be able to read appropriate passages for feast days and or study on Sabbath, if those are happening while you're gone. You can also take teachings to listen to on the flight or in the care.

Related posts:
Eating Biblically Clean at Cookouts
Biblical Instructions: Have To or Get To?