Southern New England News

Kolot – Happy Shabbos to You!

By Howard Meyerowitz

When his two daughters were still little girls, Howard Meyerowitz liked to delight them with imaginative tales he wrote to help them welcome the Sabbath Queen. It became a Meyerowitz family tradition – one that is remembered fondly by Howard and his now adult daughters – and met with equal glee by his grandchildren. We are pleased to share one of Howard’s Shabbos tales with our readers.

It was a quiet Friday morning in Gantze Gulch, a small frontier town on the Western prairie. Everyone and everything were moseying quietly along getting ready for Shabbos. The Gold General Store smelled of fresh baked challahs, and Lohr Livestock and Feed was doing a brisk business with the farmers and ranchers buying extra special Shabbos oats for their animals.

At the Lerner Livery Stable special care was being given to washing down and caring for the teams of horses that brought in the last Friday stage, and the stage drivers and mail carriers were relaxing in the Stanger Saloon enjoying ice cold milkshakes made from the freshest cholov milk and ice cream, while folks of all ages had gathered in the Meyerowitz Music Emporium listening to the latest Yiddish melodies and songs.

Rabbi Roy and Rebbetzin Dale Rogers ran a nifty little Chabad House at the edge of town. Every Friday at midday they would religiously take a break from their Shabbos preparations and sit on the rockers on their front porch and begin to strum their guitars, always accompanied by Gabbi Hayes on his harmonica.

Well, just like magic, every creature, two-footed and four-footed, would gallop to his or her front yard, hankerin’ to hear the rabbi and his wife sing:

“Happy Shabbos to you, until we meet again.
Happy Shabbos to you, keep smilin’ until then.
May your candles always be shining, your wine always sweet,
And your challah under a cover so starched and neat.
Who cares about the clouds when we’re together?
Just sing a Shabbos song n’ think about sunny weather.
Happy Shabbos to you’ til we meet again.”
Happy Shabbos to all you Buckaroos!

Love, Bubby & Zayde

 

Howard Meyerowitz is a Ledger staff member and member of Beth El Temple in West Hartford. He lives in Bloomfield with his wife, Susan.

Readers are invited to submit original work on a topic of their choosing to Kolot. Submissions should be sent to judiej@jewishledger.com.

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