Keeping Shabbos, step by step, week by week
CLEARING & FILLING THE SPACE
25 hours. 8 Steps. Each one an immersive experience. We clear the space – in our minds, in our hearts, in our homes. Clearing the space means no demands. No work. No devices. No burdens. No driving or shopping or cooking or laundry. Nothing distract or disconnect us.
Then we fill that space with meaningful moments. With candle-lighting, blessing children, Kiddush, three meals and three prayers, Havdalah at the end. With bonding as a family and gathering as a community. With walking and talking, singing and sharing, learning and connecting, resting and rejuvenating. With moments that touch the soul, lift our spirits, and refresh body and mind.
Time to breathe. Time to nurture. Time to create ourselves.
A sanctuary. Stop doing. Start being. Step by step.
HERE’S HOW THE JOURNEY TO 25 HOURS WORKS
We have divided Shabbos into eight steps that make up the full 25 hours from sunset to stars out. Start your journey by keeping any one (or more!) of these steps with all the laws and traditions of Shabbos.
GO ALL IN! Then when you are ready, add another step to your journey. Step by step, week by week, you will get there. And it will change your life.
STEP 1
Candles to kiddush
Relief
Light two candles with the blessings before sunset. Feel relief – release from the burdens of the week. As the sun slips below the horizon, everything stops. You can do no more. All your Shabbos preparations are behind you. The food is on the hot-tray, the table is laid. The lights you need are on. Everything and everyone is ready for Shabbos. Breathe. You’ve stopped doing – now it’s time to start being. Shabbos is here. Go to shul as a family. Walk home from shul together.
STEP 1
Candles to kiddush
Relief
Quiet time. Have a conversation with your loved ones. Read the portion of the week. Enjoy a good book. The way you’re meant to prepare for bed. No flickering screens to keep you awake, giving you artificial bursts of dopamine. You have bathed and had your haircuts and shaved before Shabbat so you can just relax and go to bed. As you lay down your head, feel at rest. No need to worry about the next day. No buzzing phone next to your bed. No alarm clock to arrest your slumber. And when you wake up, you’ll feel the difference – lighter, more buoyant. Make sure there are tissues in the bathroom, remember to use liquid toothpaste and soap, and leave a light on in the bathroom before Shabbos.
STEP 2
Shabbos dinner – kiddush to bensching
Connection
Gather around the Shabbos table. Feel the connection. Everyone is present. No devices, no errands, nowhere to rush off to. No distractions. Kiddush, two challahs, bless your children. Enjoy delicious food that was cooked before Shabbos. Sacred time. Conversation is flowing. Share an inspiring idea from the Torah portion. Bensch with gratitude. Feel full – in every sense of the word.
STEP 3
After dinner to bed
Restfulness
Quiet time. Have a conversation with your loved ones. Read the portion of the week. Enjoy a good book. The way you’re meant to prepare for bed. No flickering screens to keep you awake, giving you artificial bursts of dopamine. You have bathed and had your haircuts and shaved before Shabbat so you can just relax and go to bed. As you lay down your head, feel at rest. No need to worry about the next day. No buzzing phone next to your bed. No alarm clock to arrest your slumber. And when you wake up, you’ll feel the difference – lighter, more buoyant. Make sure there are tissues in the bathroom, remember to use liquid toothpaste and soap, and leave a light on in the bathroom before Shabbos.
STEP 4
Wake up to mid-morning
Fresh start
Wake up refreshed and ready to meet the day. No turning straight to your phone to check the latest demands on your time. No doomscrolling through social media. No catching up on sensationalised news. Get dressed at your leisure. Lounge around in your pyjamas for a while if you like. Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee using hot water from the urn. Read an inspiring Torah article you’ve printed out before Shabbos. There’s no obligation to dash off – no lifts, no running to the shops, no rushing off to work. Enjoy the morning air, hear the birds chirp. Awaken intellectually, emotionally, physically, spiritually.
STEP 5
Mid-morning to lunch
Community
Walk to shul as a family. The novelty of the world outside not zipping past you in a blur. No traffic or hooting – just take a leisurely stroll. No need to talk into the back of a headrest or a mirror – walk and talk side by side. At shul, find a siddur and a chumash. Enjoy the pride, the simple satisfaction, of sitting next to your children in shul. Be inspired by the rabbi. Pray to Hashem. Listen to the weekly Torah portion being read. Hear kiddush and enjoy a delicious spread while you catch up with your friends. Feel part of a community, connected to something bigger than yourself.
STEP 6
Shabbos lunch
Reconnection
Begin with the daytime kiddush. if someone at the table hasn’t heard it yet. Wash and hamotzi on two challahs. Feel refreshed and connected – an ideal state to enjoy a leisurely lunch with family and friends. This is the chance to deepen those connections. In the daylight the atmosphere is different to Shabbos dinner. It’s more easygoing, more relaxed, more open. Take your food off the hot tray (left on before Shabbos or it can come on with a time switch) or enjoy a cold lunch. Savour the rich flavours. Share words of Torah, sing a song, tell a story. End with bensching. Hang around the table afterwards. There’s no hurry at all.
STEP 6
Shabbos lunch
Reconnection
Quiet time. Have a conversation with your loved ones. Read the portion of the week. Enjoy a good book. The way you’re meant to prepare for bed. No flickering screens to keep you awake, giving you artificial bursts of dopamine. You have bathed and had your haircuts and shaved before Shabbat so you can just relax and go to bed. As you lay down your head, feel at rest. No need to worry about the next day. No buzzing phone next to your bed. No alarm clock to arrest your slumber. And when you wake up, you’ll feel the difference – lighter, more buoyant. Make sure there are tissues in the bathroom, remember to use liquid toothpaste and soap, and leave a light on in the bathroom before Shabbos.
STEP 7
Shabbos afternoon – from end of lunch to third meal
Indulgence
The afternoon lies open before you. This time is all yours. Go for a walk, read a book, learn Torah. Play with your kids, or catch up with some friends – anything to add to the enjoyment of this precious downtime. Relish the luxury of an afternoon nap (when was the last time you did that?). Life’s simple pleasures are there for the taking.
STEP 8
Third meal to Havdalah
Reflection
As Shabbat ebbs away, the mood changes. It’s time for the third meal. It is a soulful and uplifting time. The light is soft. The mood is reflective and nurturing. At this meal there are two challahs but no kiddush. There are poignant songs and words of inspiration.
By now, the stars are out. Time to once again mark a transition – from Shabbos to the week. Say havdalah over a cup of wine, a multi-wicked candle and some spices. Just as you ushered in Shabbat with light, see it out with light.
Mixed feelings. Sadness at sensing Shabbat fade, joy at what you’ve experienced – at the elevated state of consciousness you’ve reached, at what you’ve seen life can be. Joy and inspiration. Spilling like wine from a cup into the week ahead.
STEP 8
Third meal to Havdalah
Reflection
As Shabbat ebbs away, the mood changes. It’s time for the third meal. It is a soulful and uplifting time. The light is soft. The mood is reflective and nurturing. At this meal there are two challahs but no kiddush. There are poignant songs and words of inspiration.
By now, the stars are out. Time to once again mark a transition – from Shabbos to the week. Say havdalah over a cup of wine, a multi-wicked candle and some spices. Just as you ushered in Shabbat with light, see it out with light.
Mixed feelings. Sadness at sensing Shabbat fade, joy at what you’ve experienced – at the elevated state of consciousness you’ve reached, at what you’ve seen life can be. Joy and inspiration. Spilling like wine from a cup into the week ahead.
WHAT YOU NEED ON YOUR JOURNEY
We’ve created three simple, easy-to-use resources to help you on your journey as you navigate the 8 Steps:
The Divine Gift of Shabbos
A short essay on how the practical aspects of the day (what we do and refrain from doing) create an immersive, uniquely enriching experience, bringing us joy, meaning and connection.
Guide to Keeping Shabbos
An overview of the laws of Shabbos, a step-by-step process for preparing for Shabbos, and useful tips for making the most of the day and ensuring you and your family have the best possible experience.
Shabbat Table Toolkit
Shabbos is Hashem’s gift to us.
It is a Divine recipe to attain everything we most want from life – happiness, connection and purpose. It empowers us to inspire our children to be Jewish, transforms our homes, families and relationships, and improves our quality of life.
Over the years, through the Shabbos Project, we have celebrated and gained a deep appreciation for the incredible gift of Shabbos. The 8 steps of the Journey to 25 Hours – Shabbos Project 2.0 – is the way too bring that gift into our homes week by week.
YOU CAN START YOUR JOURNEY THIS COMING SHABBOS!
If you need help connecting with someone to support you on the Journey, email: [email protected].
