Invited Out for Shabbat Dinner? 7 Gift Ideas to Delight Any Host So, you’ve been invited out for Shabbat dinner and you’re wondering whether or not to bring a gift…and, if so, what sort of gift would be most appropriate. First, though it’s a lovely and thoughtful gesture, it’s not absolutely necessary to bring any gift at all — especially since you may not know the level of religious observance practiced by your hosts, which could make gift-giving tricky. Second, while a nice dessert, a box of chocolates or a bottle of wine is always welcome, find out in advance if your hosts keep kosher. If they do, make sure your gift carries an acceptable kosher certification symbol, and avoid bringing anything homecooked. In addition, if you do bring food, make it parve — neither meat nor
22 | Kosher New England 2021
dairy — so that it can be shared by everyone partaking in the Shabbat meal. Third, if you plan to arrive at dinner before the Shabbat candles have been lit, bring your gift with you. But if plan to arrive after Shabbat has started, and you know your hosts are Shomer Shabbat (Sabbath observant), drop off the gift at the hosts’ home sometime during the day prior to the start of Shabbat. Fourth, religiously observant people are prohibited from putting flowers in water on Shabbat. So, if you do bring flowers, make sure they’re already in a vase with water or, better yet, bring a potted plant. A few Shabbat dinner gift suggestions follow.