Host a Shabbat Dinner

Get Inspired

Shabbat, much like yoga or meditation for some, is an act of rebellion against a constantly moving world. Relinquishing control, being present, unplugging from technology, quieting the thoughts in our minds — these things are hard. So, lighting the candles on Friday night can be a tool to meditate on gratitude and sharing challah with friends can be a tool to eat with awareness.

What’s Shabbat?

In Jewish tradition, the world is created in an evolution of seven days: six days of work that culminate in the seventh day, Shabbat, a day of rest. Shabbat is not a postscript, it is as important a part of bringing the world into being as any of the days of active creativity. Judaism teaches that we, human beings, are responsible for continuing the work of creation to make the world a better place, day after day, week after week. That work requires Shabbat.

Why Friday Night?

You can find the groundwork for the traditional practice of celebrating Shabbat in ancient texts (including the Torah, the Jewish Bible), yet its implications are modern: a way to end the week with intention. According to Jewish law, Shabbat begins just before sundown on Friday night, and spans a restful 25 hours until after sundown on Saturday.

While Shabbat lasts throughout Saturday, OneTable focuses exclusively on the beginning: Shabbat dinner. Why? Because we believe that connecting and building community over good food, good wine, and with good people at the end of the work week is just good for you. The essence of Shabbat isn’t about what you can’t do on this one day, it’s about what you can do on the other six if you take the time to truly restore and replenish yourself.

About OneTable

OneTable, a Jewish nonprofit operating in the U.S. and Toronto, is dedicated to building community through peer-led engagement. It creates meaningful change by inviting and supporting adults (21-39ish and 50-70ish) to host each other for Shabbat dinner with the goals of everyone becoming producers of their own practices and Shabbat dinners to become catalysts for creating connections. It also now offers its signature digital platform to other engagement-oriented organizations through Powered By OneTable, its software as a service (SaaS).

Check out the OneTable resources for more inspiration to unplug and prepare for Shabbat dinner. If you're in your 20s and 30s, post an unplugged Shabbat dinner on the OneTable platform. For everyone else, check out and post your dinner on Together @OneTable.