What to expect at Shabbat at Chabad

B”H

The students that attend Chabad are from diverse backgrounds. Expect to see your fellow students dressed the way they would around campus.
You too should feel free to wear whatever you are most comfortable in, you do not need to dress in any specific way.


Starting times for everything happening on Friday nights at Chabad change depending on sunset.

The three major parts are 1) Candle Lighting, 2) Services, 3) Shabbat Dinner

1) Candle Lighting is always 18 minutes before sunset. Each girl participating gets to light her own candle. This is usually an intimate ceremony with only a few girls, but everyone is welcome.

2) Shabbat Services start 45 minutes before dinner and usually within an hour after sunset depending on the time of year. Services are run in traditional Chabad Style. Men and Women sit separately, with a mechitza down the middle. The prayer books are in English and Hebrew, and many of the parts are transliterated. So you can sing along even if you don’t read Hebrew. There is a lot of singing and even a little bit of dancing. The singing happens in Hebrew, and the instructions and discussions are in English.

3) Shabbat Family Style Dinner. The mechitza is put away and everyone sits together. We start by singing a song welcoming the angels and someone (usually the Rabbi) makes kiddush.