To our dearest dining room table

בס"ד כ"ח תשרי תשע"ה  October 22, 2014

To our dearest dining room table,

Erev Yom Kippur, after we finished eating the Seudah Hamafsekes, I started to have a monologue with you.

I said: 'Dear table, you must be so sad that tonight, when we normally eat the Shabbos Seuda on you, you're going to be completely empty because Tatty and Mummy aren't allowed to eat because it's a ta’anis.'

First of all, I saw that I did a Mitzva because I gave Mummy nachas that I've learnt how to talk to tables and chairs and floors and Sukkos.  But also, I hope that you were happy that I was considering your feelings.  

The truth is, I didn't have to worry about you, because when Sukkos came along a few days later, I am sure that your table heart rejoiced.  Although in most homes on Sukkos, the dining room table is sad the whole Yom Tov because only a rickety folding table has place in the Sukkoh, you are lucky because our Sukkoh is so massive that we can also have a bed, and we can take our regular table into the Sukkoh.

So you were lucky enough to join us for the whole Yom Tov.  You saw our nice decorations that we made in Gan and school and you also saw how Ruchi and Sheindy enjoyed playing with the decorations so that half way through Sukkos they were decimated.  You saw all of us ehrlichly making a brochoh on the Lulav and Esrog and you watched us make funfairs until 12 midnight with the mattress and chairs that we had to crawl under and over on Chol Hamo’ed.

Not only that, but on Simchas Torah you joined us back in the dining room and you saw our boy addition to the family (the dolly Zeidy and Bubby London bought us) who joined us in Shul.  We dressed him Shabbosdig and he has already a chazakah of being the most wanted boy in the Shul to be carried on the shoulders on Simchas Torah by the 6th hakafah.  

By now, people are wondering why he still doesn't have a haircut if he's already come to Shul for three years running…  This year we did actually put on Tatty's kappel for him.

We hope dear dining room table that you aren't too lonely this week that a whole week is going by without us eating a single seuda on you but BE"H we look forward to meeting you again this Friday night.

Have a Gut Shabbos,

Miriam Ollech