...we were at Shabbat dinner and...

Friday night and Saturday in Israel are almost magical.  It is the Jewish sabbath (Shabbat) and most of the country shuts down.  The roads in Jerusalem are pretty quiet, shops are closed, people are walking all around, and there is just a sense of peace after a busy week.

Last night, for Shabbat dinner, my roommate Ariela took Jenny and me to her friends' apartment.  It was a very diverse group of not so religious people.  Everyone there spoke a different language as their first language (French, English, Spanish), so the official language of the night was Hebrew.  At first I was a bit overwhelmed, but as the night went on, I became more and more comfortable listening to Hebrew and even interjecting a tiny bit.  The conversation was pretty typical: the art of learning languages, what makes a good relationship, college and jobs, the obsession with fast food in America, etc.

The food was good: a nice bottle of wine for kiddush and fresh bread from the market for motzi, soup, a ton of salads, chicken, and rice.  We dined and chatted and we just enjoying the company.  After we finished dinner, we took dishes into the kitchen, got fresh cups, and brought out fruit.  We all reconvened at the table for some fresh fruit and a (plastic) glass of wine.  It was so Israeli when one of the hosts took out a pack of cigarettes and started smoking at the Shabbat dinner table--without even a window cracked.  If smoking one cigarette wasn't enough, he chain-smoked three over the course of out dessert.  And it didn't even phase anyone.

The Shabbat dinner ended on a good note, though, with full tummies and new friends and led to a good night's sleep.  The next morning, Jenny and I met up with her brothers and walked to a shul in Yemin Moshe.  We got a tiny bit lost but were able to enjoy a scenic walk.  Kiddush there was delicious: cheese cake, kugel. eggplant Parmesan, lox, and so much more!  I was full the rest of the day--which was ironic because, of course, I had a lot of food prepared for my friends who stopped by throughout the day.  All in all it was a good first Shabbat!