How Shabbat is Helping Me Navigate Post-Graduate Life
Hannah Smuckler recently graduated from the University of Kansas. After working as a Hillel International intern for the last year, Hannah will be starting work this summer as the new Springboard Fellow at Syracuse Hillel.
As I’m writing this, my graduation cap and gown are already carefully tucked away in the closet of my childhood room. I can’t believe how fast my time in college flew by. And while I am excited for the future, one thing I’ll miss is the way Hillel has helped me center Shabbat in my life. No matter what my week looked like, I knew I’d have “Shabbat at Hillel” on my calendar at the same time every Friday. And even if something else came up and I couldn’t make it to Shabbat one week, it still brought me a sense of comfort to know that those rhythms and connections were still happening in my community.
Growing up, my family only celebrated Shabbat on special occasions. I always loved lighting the candles and having a meal with my family, but I didn’t think about celebrating every week until college. Now the Shabbat rest and opportunity for reflection is such an important part of my week, and it’s changed the way I think about making time for myself and my friends.
What I have loved most about KU Hillel Shabbat is that there’s something for everyone. Aside from having multiple Shabbat celebration opportunities each week, including Friday night services, dinner, Saturday brunch, and Havdalah, we often incorporated different themes. Some of the themes this past year included game day, Israel, tacos, and even a murder mystery themed Shabbat! This gave each of us the opportunity to find the perfect Shabbat experience for our interests. I’ve also loved getting to sample different cuisines that have to do with each of these Shabbat themes. One week, a friend and I led a Spain-themed Shabbat and brought our favorite Spanish foods to KU Hillel!
As a college graduate, without the stability and support of Hillel, I’ll have to figure out what I want my Shabbat experience to look like. But I know that these experiences and lessons I’ve taken from my time with Hillel will guide me as I learn to take Shabbat with me into the rest of my life.
Here are three ways I’m using Shabbat to help me during this transition:
- I’m putting my phone down and working on being more present and intentional with my friends. Then I’m taking the relaxation and reflection from each Friday night and carrying it with me into the week.
- I’m taking a few minutes each Shabbat to go through pictures from the last four years and turning my favorites into a collage of memories that will travel with me where I go next.
- I’m making an effort to find time on Shabbat to see friends who I haven’t seen recently as I recognize that Shabbat will always be a time to make new friends and spend time with old friends.
No matter where you are in your journey, you can think about how to make Shabbat your own. Maybe you’re reading this as an incoming freshman (hello, class of 2029!) trying to figure out what Shabbat at college means to you. My advice is: try every option you can to find out what makes Shabbat the most meaningful to you. This could be spending time with your Hillel friends as they celebrate Shabbat, using Shabbat to reflect on the week, or hosting your own Shabbat dinner for your campus community.
For my fellow graduating seniors, let’s use this pause each week to help us find some stability in the biggest transition of our lives so far. Whether you’re continuing with school, getting a job, or moving back home, Shabbat can be a consistent chance to look inward regularly and refresh for the coming week.
While it’s hard to say goodbye to the moments and community that shaped my time and my growth over the last four years, I’m so excited to take the lessons in reflection and rest that Shabbat at Hillel taught me into this next part of my journey.