Table

Shulchan means table, and in Jewish life, the table is far more than a piece of furniture — it is the center of family and spiritual life. The Talmud teaches that after the Temple was destroyed, 'a person's table atones for them,' meaning that the dining table assumed the sacred role of the Temple altar. Eating with intention, sharing food with guests, and engaging in Torah discussion at the table are all considered acts of worship. The Shabbat table is the iconic image of Jewish family life. Draped in white cloth, set with the best dishes, adorned with candles and flowers, the Friday night shulchan transforms an ordinary dining room into a sanctuary. Two challot, a cup of wine for kiddush, and the faces of loved ones in candlelight — this scene has been replicated in Jewish homes for millennia, from medieval Spain to modern Manhattan to contemporary Tel Aviv. The phrase 'Shulchan Aruch' (Set Table) is also the name of the most authoritative code of Jewish law, compiled by Rabbi Joseph Karo in 16th-century Safed. The metaphor is apt: just as a well-set table presents everything in order and ready for use, the Shulchan Aruch organizes Jewish law into an accessible, orderly format. The table thus connects the domestic and the legal, the practical and the spiritual. In Israeli homes, the shulchan is the gathering place for celebrations, study sessions, homework help, and the long, animated conversations that define Israeli family culture. The tradition of 'sitting at the table' carries the weight of centuries — every Jewish gathering around a table echoes the thousands of tables at which the same blessings were recited, the same bread was broken, and the same stories were told.