24x36 inch Oil on Canvas

Shabbat has taken many shapes since I left my childhood home. Each weekend now carries its own rhythm, some filled with careful preparation for a phoneless, driverless 25 hours, others marked simply by a familiar melody that signals the Sabbath’s arrival.

What remains constant is the spirit we share. Old friends gather without question, instinctively reaching for a wine glass and filling it to the rim. A Shabbat morning wouldn’t feel complete without that moment of pause, of blessing, of gathering breath.

Across sunny days and hectic semesters, through funerals and weddings, in dresses or pajamas, we continue to show up- hand in hand, choosing each other and choosing Shabbat.

This painting captures that quiet decision: that Judaism lives not only in the formal gestures, but also in the simple, imperfect, deeply human ways we keep it alive.