Everything you ever wanted to know about Shabbat

Shabbat is "hardwired" into our Jewish souls.

Others had misconceptions about being shomrei Shabbat, which she has tried to clarify. In that regard, so many people focus on the restrictive rules and lose sight of the joyful nature of Shabbat, the author notes.Arts EditorIn its 15 chapters, Angels at the Table seems to provide a comprehensive discussion of Shabbat in chapters such as "Rules and laws of Shabbat," "Drawing close to God: blessings at the Shabbat dinner table," "Finding a community: Shabbat morning services," "Torah questions for your Shabbat table," "Easy, traditional Shabbat recipes" and "Songs for Shabbat."That's the notion that underlies Yvette Alt Miller's new book, Angels at the Table: A Practical Guide to Celebrating Shabbat (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2011).For a long time, she had believed she could write a book answering the many questions mat people had asked her during those years. Because she had thought about the subject for so long, once she started to write, the words flowed quickly and she finished the project in a year and a half, Miller says."Every Jewish person was made with this metaphysical connection to Shabbat," she says. "Many are drawn to it [observing the Sabbath] even if they may not be ready to accept every recommendation in the book.""There were families that wanted to include more Shabbat observance into their lives, and I helped them," she says.She lived in the Washington area from 1998 to 2003, working at the U.S. International Trade Commission and as deputy director of the office and head of public affairs at United Jewish Communities in the District. She attended services at the Orthodox Kesher Israel Congregation and at the Conservative Adas Israel Congregation.by Aaron LeibelAfter receiving her bachelor's degree in government in 1992, she got a master's in international relations from the London School of Economics, a postgraduate diploma in Jewish studies from Oxford and a Ph.D. in international relations from LSE in 2003."I want people to understand that Shabbat is supremely satisfying and encourage them to incorporate new experiences into their Shabbat," she says.She and her family now live in Northbrook, a northern suburb of Chicago. Again, she lives outside of the main Chicago Orthodox community among Jews of differing religious observance.The idea for the book has been percolating in her since she lived in the District, says the author. "We lived in Cleveland Park, in a very warm Jewish environment" with families at various levels of religious observance.It's been a long spiritual journey for her. She was born in 1970 in Chicago and grew up in a Conservative Jewish home with parents who were not very religious, the author recalls. "I've always been drawn to things Jewish, but thought I was missing something [in her family's observance of Judaism], that there was some wisdom I wasn't getting."Therefore, as an undergraduate at Harvard, she decided to become religiously observant.The book is completely in English, to make it accessible to everyone, she notes. "I wanted to demystify Shabbat," she says. "I wanted it to be a complete resource [on the subject]."As when she lived in the District, she has hosted many families on Shabbat. "Many people, having tasted Shabbat, like it," she says.It is one of the books used for the Jewish Learning Institute course "Oasis in Time: the Gift of Shabbat in a 24/7 World," being offered in 14 Washingtonarea Chabad locations.

Arts Editor