How Do You Simplify Shabbat? 12 Women Answer

By the time Shabbat rolls around, I’m thinking about how I can prepare for the next one at least four days early!

If only life (and homes) were that simple. Like a pie I could bake and store until an appointed time, I wish I could save a prepared version of my home and thaw it out on Friday evenings just in time for the Sabbath.

There’s got to be some answer for this Shabbat blues though? 14 Israelite sisters take to Instagram to share how they simplify Shabbat in response to a poll I took.

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So if you’re feeling lost or overwhelmed when it’s time to prepare, perhaps these words will be encouraging. They were for me!

“I do errands/heavy chores mon-wed. Big meal prep Thursday then early Friday is just light work for fresh fruits or cold pressing juices but nothing big on Friday so my nervous system has time to naturally ease into rest vs work then just stop lol ❤️ Raw fruit diet on Shabbat; great rest for digestive system, too”
– @TheAlkalineDoula

“I have chores through out the week so Prep day is just homeschool and cooking ????.”
– @TheWifeOfMomo

“Literally just spoke about this this morning with a sister…It’s been especially challenging getting back into a weekly/prep routine since my Ish passed away last year and now I’m back to work and no longer have fridays off…creating a schedule to break up the tasks during the week is the only way and prayer for the physical & mental strength and perseverance to get it done and done properly…pray for me ????????????”
– @Ishsha_Hashuvah

“I clean our bedroom on Monday. Kids room on Tuesday. Living and Dining room on Wednesday. Kitchen and bathrooms on Thursday. Friday morning I make muffins and put them in the fridge for the next day. Do a light cleaning of every room (since they get a deep cleaning earlier in the week) and meal prep. Then Friday night we feast Saturday we have the muffins for breakfast and sandwiches with chips and fruit for lunch. Sunday a quick light cleaning and family day. I used to stress about it too but I’ve found that this method works best for me. I hope it can help someone.”
– @Abbas.Servant

I even took an additional poll on my story! Check out the answers!

“Keep my house tidy all week. 1 load of laundry a day. Shop Thursday, then just cook Friday.”
– @___JordanSmith_

“Having a plant based diet makes things a lot easier!”
– @Negrucha

“Plan super fast meals that can be cooked at the same time!”
– @So journer_avi

“Complete hald of chores on Thursday.”
– @Imma_savageleader

“Start on Thursday. I’d run errands, buy the food or even make the cornbread on Thursday.”
– @TheGolden_Goodss

“I start on Wednesday and clean throughout the week!”
– @Samiscrown

“Have a checklist of things to be done so everything is taken care of before Sabbath comes in.”
– @ChatWithGiah

“Clean waaaaaaaaaaay before, meal preps!”
– @AboveRubiesCo

BONUS: A brother even weighed in 😉

“Shalom, my wife does all the food orders a delivery’s Thursday and [then] even will prepare somethings like cookies and snacks that will last a bit longer the same night. She also will clean/ cut up and veggies for cooking the next day. I will admit that she still spends a lot of time doing things Friday. However breaking it up into tasks and having our children clean has helped a lot. She knows exactly the meals she will prepare and has a routine so that the food is as fresh as possible by sundown. We have only been keeping Shabbat for 2 years and it has been an adjustment but well worth the trial and error. Hope this helps.”
– @asi_dice_yahuah_

It does, brother!

Making a smooth transition into Shabbat seems as though it’s unique to each home, but really boils to three things: