As our arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders and our bodies swayed under the candlelight to the slow tune of the Havdallah service, an onlooker could have never distinguished between the Hungarian students and the American ones. In the same way that our arms connected in this moment, our souls had intertwined over the course of Shabbat. If we had felt like best friends during our first three days in Hungary, we had now felt like brothers and sisters after our Shabbat experience.
With no phones and no other outside distractions, we had traded laughs, thoughts, and experiences during Shabbat meals and activities. We participated in fun games, sang Shabbat songs, and ate in unity. For some Hungarians, this may have been their first Shabbat experience but they did not hesitate to step out of their comfort zone and contribute to the spirit. They asked for the lyrics to songs, followed along in the Siddur during prayer, created and read dvar torahs for the first time, and never complained once, but committed their full effort to learning.
At BT, we have two Shabbatons per year which makes it so easy for us to take Shabbat for granted. We know the prayers, we know the restrictions, we know the activities, we know the foods, we learned them and we are prepared for them. On the other hand, so many families in Hungary do not have the chance to encounter such a beautiful day. While I never recognized that before, I now understand the strong significance and meaning that lies behind Shabbat, a day for introspection and bonding. Now, I feel honored that I, alongside my fellow peers, could show my bright Hungarian friends this new event, and that I could guide them while they stepped out of their comfort zone.
Unfortunately, the end of the day did arrive, but even then we created a wonderful moment during Havdallah. We parted from the holy day and welcomed the week but this time more knowledgeable about Shabbat and more comfortable around each other. So, as we huddled there under the night sky and sang, there was zero doubt in my mind that this had been my favorite Shabbat ever.
