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I’VE ALWAYS REVERED rituals that provide a much-needed respite from the busyness of daily life — because when we move half as fast, we notice twice as much. Shabbat, also known as the Jewish Sabbath, is a day of rest, observed weekly from sundown on Friday to sunrise on Saturday. Five years ago, I was invited to my first Shabbat by my friends Jessica Hendricks Yee and Patrick Yee. I was elated, and would soon find out that my introduction was a bit unconventional.

When the elevator doors opened, I was surprised to find the hallway adorned with designer shoes — at least 30 pairs, which signaled this wasn’t the intimate familial custom I’d imagined (this was pre-pandemic). When I entered the candlelit Williamsburg loft, I was met with one of the most comforting welcomes I’d ever experienced, which says a lot for someone with social anxiety. The group was diverse in every sense of the word, and it struck me that everyone was smiling, hugging, and genuinely engaged. Our hosts, Jessica and Patrick, fluttered around the room ensuring everyone was well fed. After the ceremonial lighting of the candles, Jessica shared a Kabbalistic teaching in lieu of a traditional reading from the Torah. “Thank you for coming,” said Jessica, addressing the crowd. “Although you don’t all know each other yet, everyone here has been a blessing to us.”

Patrick grew up in the church. “I remember running around the pews as a kid and knowing every word to every hymn.” As first-generation immigrants who arrived in Boston just before graduating from high school, Patrick’s parents felt most at home in their Chinese American evangelical church and the community that formed around it. “My parents incorporated scripture into our life lessons, but spirituality was most present at the dinner table. We would pray and give thanks before every meal.” Although there were pros and cons to such a devout religious upbringing, Patrick attributes his open-mindedness to the warmth and togetherness ever present in his religious community. “Growing up, I never questioned why we closed our eyes and talked to God in our heads. There was never any doubt as to whether or not a spiritual world exists; it’s been there for me from day one.”

“I thought I had to travel so that I could gain the wisdom and experience to grow into the person worthy of attracting my dream partner,” shares Jessica, “but Patrick made me feel so comfortable in my own skin that the focus shifted to traveling the world together so that we can both grow into the best version of ourselves.” After spending much of their courtship in Tulum — “before it blew up,” Patrick adds — the couple got married in Palm Springs, honeymooned in Japan, and cites Morocco as one of their most memorable trips. “We stayed in the Atlas Mountains in this gorgeous glamping situation called Scarabeo Camp,” Jessica recalls. “We were so moved by this experience that I designed a piece for Zahava called the Golden Atlas, where you can place a diamond anywhere on a little globe pendant. I made one for myself with a diamond in the Atlas Mountains so that I could always connect back to that moment.” “And then we named our son Ezra Atlas,” adds Patrick.

For Jessica, motherhood has been the ultimate way to further reconnect with the rituals from her maternal Jewish lineage — equipping Ezra with the rich spiritual tool kit she’s spent a lifetime seeking out. “It’s been really reassuring to know that you can build a home and a life anywhere,” says Jessica. “Thinking spiritually and globally expands our perception of what’s possible.”

“There’s nothing textbook about this experience,” Patrick adds, “so we constantly have to check in with each other and make sure we’re prioritizing what matters most. We’re grateful. Life’s too short not to be.”