Community Brought Together at Shabbos Dinner

With the lighting of candles just ahead of sunset on Friday, around 60 members of the Jewish community marked the beginning of Shabbos at the Chabad Jewish Discovery Centre in Mississauga, Ontario.

The group was at the center for a community dinner to bring members of the Jewish faith together at the start of Shabbos for an evening of food and spiritual contemplation.

As a part of the Chabad-Lubavitch branch of Jewish Orthodoxy, the center follows strict rules regarding work on Shabbos, forgoing even seemingly small tasks such as turning off a light.

Rabbi Yitzchok Slavin, the center’s leader, said that Shabbos was an opportunity for Jews to set aside their daily cares and reflect on their belief in God as the creator of all things. Slavin said, “Shabbos is the anchor and center of the week, so it is the best time to bring the community together.”

Rabbi Lazer Gurkow also visited the center from London, Ontario, to speak to the audience about the importance of Shabbos.