Reggie Silberberg writes: "The creation of my quilt square was birthed from my deep love of Shabbat, the seventh day. This sacred time is devoted to G!d; to love and be loved by G!d, to feel at one with the Divine Presence, the Shechina; to be a vessel between heaven and earth; to pray alone and within our spiritual community; to be with family and friends; to be connected to Jewish people worldwide; to rest, menucha; to be joyous; to study Torah; to perform mitzvot and acts of loving-kindness; to be contemplative and be in silence. As Reb Moshe always says, it is a time "to be." Each week I look forward to Shabbat.

The symbols in my square are dear to me. The sunset, marking the imminent arrival of Shabbat, is a blessing. The Shabbat candles, the Torah scroll, and the Havdalah candle, are placed so that the eye can follow right to left, the direction that Hebrew is read. We begin Shabbat by lighting the Shabbat candles, bringing the holy light of the Shabbat into ourselves. The opened Torah scroll* symbolizes the Torah service held every Shabbat morning. I find myself deeply drawn to the study of and 'leyning' of Torah. "Torah is the Tree of Life for those who cling onto it." The Hebrew words** on the Torah scroll are taken from Genesis 2:3, where the Torah first mentions Shabbat: "And G!d blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it G!d ceased from all the work of creation that G!d had done." This verse is part of our Shabbat liturgy. Behind the Torah scroll is a tallit and tzitzit, threads that hang from each corner of a tallit. The Torah states, "In every generation they shall put fringes on the corners of their garments." (Numbers 15:38) When I wrap my tallit over and around myself after saying the blessing, bracha, I imagine that I am embraced in G!d’s light and presence. "For with you [G!d] is the fountain of life; By your light do we see light." (Psalm 36:8-11) Sunset not only marks Shabbat’s imminent beginning, but also the imminent ending of this sacred time. When three stars are in the sky, approximately 25 hours after the start of Shabbat, we begin the Havdalah ritual marking the end of Shabbat by lighting the Havdalah candle, a braided candle symbolizing unity. The ritual ends by extinguishing the flame of the candle in a glass of wine, and we say shavua tov, have a good week as a new week begins. The tree embraces all the candles, the Torah, and the tallit. It symbolizes our lives apart from Shabbat, with the hopes of having the totality of our Shabbat experience brought into the world for healing and Tikkun Olam during the weekdays. (I would have included the Hebrew verses of my favorite Shabbat prayers, wine, hallah, and more, but alas there was no room.)"


About the Artist. "Currently I work as a psychotherapist in a clinic and private practice. I have one son who is a joy and a blessing! At TBZ, I serve as the Adult Learning Committee Chairperson as well as a member of the Board of Directors and the Synagogue Practices Committee. Much of my time is spent at TBZ studying and managing an eclectic adult learning program. My entry back into Judaism occurred on Yom Kippur: the Shabbat of Shabbats. For this I will always be grateful to Reb Moshe and TBZ. I love creative projects and have put my heart and soul into the TBZ Faith Quilt project."


*My sweet mom helped to sew the material for the Torah Scroll.

**The Hebrew lettering on the Torah scroll was hand cut by papercut artist Diane Paley, my dear friend, living in New Mexico.