Every Friday night, as the day slips to night, lighting the Shabbat candles feels like painting the world gold. The tiny flames bring peace, chasing away the week's noise and worries. A Friday night could look different for everyone. Whether it’s lighting candles with family or having a big Shabbat dinner, nothing compares to a Friday night filled with love. Shabbat brings all Jews together, no matter how far. This past summer, I had the privilege to go on CLTC 3. We got there on a Thursday, so our first full day was a Friday. At first, I was confused why they would start the camp at the end of the week- why not just start it on a Monday and have a first full week? Well, reflecting back, they couldn’t have done a better favor than put our first full day on a Friday. On Thursday, they brought us all together at this camp. Most of us not knowing one another, just a bunch of awkward teenagers meeting the people they would spend the next 12 days with. No one knew how impactful the next day would be. Then came Friday. We all gathered around in a circle, in our Shabbat clothes, with candles at each table. We went around and talked about what we were grateful for, and every single teen bought into it. One by one, as we lit those candles, every teen poured their souls out about what they were grateful for. It was a feeling like no other. A sense of belonging, the powerful feeling of unity. We all felt it there and then. That single, maybe not even 30-minute Friday night moment led to me not only meeting my best friends to this day, but my future bridesmaids, roommates, and family by choice. From then on, after that impactful Friday night, my CLTC experience elevated from there. My new best friends and I made incredible memories, and just after a few days, the last Friday night Shabbat fell. The only thing you could hear in the Shabbat circle was sniffles and tears. Everyone had their arms wrapped around each other, symbolizing how we became a close-knit family in just a few days. Friday night Shabbats are special and will always have a special significance in my heart.