Paradise Found

This past Friday night we hosted a group of Reform Jews from the US. They were a lovely group full of wonderful people, and I felt thrilled to have the opportunity to give them their first taste of a traditional Shabbat dinner.
I lit candles with the women, and we said the blessing all together, and then there was Shalom Alechem and Eshet Chayil and blessing the children and a yummy meal full of many questions and discussion and good feeling.
After we served dessert, the tour guide announced, “I’m sorry, I know we would all love to stay all night, but in 5 minutes it will be time to leave Paradise.”
Which made me think about how Josh and I are nice people, and we have a nice family and a nice home and we serve nice food.
But Shabbat. A real Shabbat…
With a Jewish family in a Jewish home sitting all together around the table.
That’s not just nice. That’s the World to Come in your own humble 4 walls. That’s Paradise.