By Rabbi Yisroel Bodkins | Torah Outreach Program (TOP)
Every week, I step into a senior living facility not just as a visitor—but as a messenger of something timeless. In a world that often forgets the elderly, I come to remind them that Shabbos remembers them. Hashem remembers them. Their souls are still on fire.
I alternate my visits—Fridays one week, Mondays the next.
Mondays are for learning. We delve into foundational halachos like Mezuzah, Brachos, and Kevuras Yisroel—topics that awaken a lifetime of Jewish memory and reconnect residents with the Torah they once lived by, or always wished they had.
But Fridays? Fridays are different.
I call them Mock Shabbos—though honestly, there’s nothing mock about the spirit we create. It starts with Shabbos songs and Torah insights. The room fills with a quiet anticipation—a subtle but sacred shift from weekday to holy day.
And then, I bring out what I like to call the Shabbos Goodies.
Sometimes it’s a small piece of gefilte fish, carefully portioned and lovingly wrapped.
Sometimes it’s a warm challah, baked by my daughter and still soft in the center.
Once, I tried something new—I brought a thermos of chicken soup and told them, “You’ve got soup—now go build a Shabbos table around it.”
And you know what?
They did.
They gathered together. They found a table. They sat and shared the food. Some even turned off their TVs and silenced their phones, not because anyone told them to—but because they wanted to. Because something stirred inside them. Something old… and holy.
I often challenge them:
“Can you try to make a full Shabbos meal?”
“Can you light your electric candles and just sit together for a bit—without distractions?”
And when I return the next week, I hear stories that move me to tears.
“I didn’t answer the phone,” one man told me proudly.
“We sang the blessing over the wine with grape juice someone had,” a woman shared.
Another added, “It felt like my mother’s Shabbos again. For a moment, I was back there.”
You see, these aren’t just care facility residents. They’re Holocaust survivors, former teachers, grandparents, and builders of Jewish homes. For decades, they gave of themselves—now it’s our turn to give back.
At the Torah Outreach Program (TOP), we live by the motto:
“They built our past. Let’s not forget them in the present.”
Bringing the warmth of Shabbos into these places isn’t a program. It’s a promise. A promise that no Jew, no matter their age or circumstance, is ever too far to be embraced by Torah and tradition again.
Want to help us bring more light to our elders?
Consider sponsoring a Shabbos Goodie Bag, a thermos of soup, or even a full Mock Shabbos experience.
Together, we can ensure that the fire of Shabbos never goes out—not in their hearts, and not in ours.
