Why is it that every Friday Night Shabbat meal consists of soup and a main dish of chicken and kugel?

The simple explanation is -- it tastes good...

There is no halachic reason for this; it is simply the age-old cuisine of European Jewry. Sephardic Jews, on the other hand, partake of other dishes.

It is, however, considered part of Oneg Shabbat (pleasure of Shabbat) to eat fish and meat (or chicken) at both of the Shabbat meals.

By Naftali Silberberg

Rabbi Silberberg resides in Brooklyn, NY, with his wife Chaya Mushka and their three children.

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January 23, 2012

Too Many Rules to Remember

After reading all this about Shabbat, I am dismayed to discover that I have not observed many of them, simply because I did not know they existed. Basically on Shabbat I was not aware of the eruv, nor did I know about the restrictions governing air and sea travel, and thus I have inadvertently violated them. I didn't know it was so hard to be a good, observant Jew. My parents and grandparents were what I thought, "Jewish to the core". My Zayde was a shochet, a ritual slaughterer in the family kosher meat market. My father and mother, aunts and uncles were all part owners of the establishment. While we were closed on Shabbat, nevertheless I had never heard of some of the other restrictions that violate the Shabbat. Does that mean I will no longer be written in the Book of Life, if indeed I ever was. In other words, is ignorance an excuse?

Anonymous
Omaha, Nebraska