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Contemporary Shabbat Practice

Two men play guitar and violin joyfully outdoors, while a seated man with a beard watches.

“The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world.” –Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath, 1951
 

Latest Rituals

“May the light of the Shabbat candles cause us all to see each other as part of our shared community”

People holding hands at a dinner table, with food, wine, and a lit candle.

Video on key-shaped challah

A braided bread shaped like a lamb on a cooling rack, with a vase of colorful flowers in the background.

“We do not celebrate Shabbat, / We receive it.”

Silhouette of a person standing on rocks, watching a sunset over a calm sea with rays of light streaming through clouds.

“each of our homes / a canopy of Sabbath peace”

Smiling woman with glasses using a tablet at an outdoor table, next to a plant, cup, and books.

An alternative ritual for not lighting Shabbat candles

Silhouette of a person against a bright, blurred sunset background with a lens flare effect.

“We don’t have to struggle on without end”

Person in a blue sweater holding a silver cup with both hands.

“Is she mapping Sabbath?”

Two people in masks sitting in chairs outside, conversing in a garden setting.

Short kabbalat Shabbat service

Two people playing guitars at sunset, silhouetted against an orange sky.

“Shabbat creeps up on my week …”

Challah bread, wine bottle, goblet, candles on holders, and an embroidered cloth on a wooden table.

“You cause me to breathe deeply”

Silhouette of a person meditating on grass with a bright sky and sun in the background.

The Reconstructionist Network

Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

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The Reconstructionist Network