“My Shabbat Story: went for breakfast to a kosher burger joint in the Jewish ghetto of Rome since my mom can’t tell me I can’t have a burger for breakfast. Didn’t really care too much to see the Coliseum but did it anyway since it was walking distance and if I didn’t start walking after that 300gram sandwich, I would probably not move till after Shabbat was over.. So heading back to the Jewish ghetto I decided to go find some candles to do the Shabbat candles thing at my Airbnb since the Chabad in Rome I was originally gonna to go to is randomly closed this Shabbat (go figure)… As I walked into a random hardware store to find candles to do the mitzvah of lighting Shabbat candles, I ran into my rabbi and his wife from Tarzana CA.. Remember… I’m in Rome Italy…. The story behind my rabbi being in Rome is simply because their flight from Israel to LA got delayed and the next flight out would have hit Shabbat, so they were forced to stay in Rome. So let me ask you this, what are the chances that I went to the same hardware supply store at the same time to run into the perfect person to lift my spirits, on my first ever Shabbat alone? I mean I could’ve been walking aimlessly in the wrong isle of the store and totally missed the rabbi, or I could’ve got my candles earlier in the day!From being disappointed that the Chabad house was closed to seeing the most happy and vibrant couple on the face of the earth definitely changed the mood for me. The rabbi and Rebitzin actually had spare candles they gave me for the mitzvah.! It’s not a small world, it’s a well organized one. (Organized by you know who) With that being said, Shabbat shalom – go light some candles!” – Menachem Kashanian
