The smell of freshly baked challah reminds me of mother’s challah, which she lovingly kneaded, braided, and baked for each Shabbos when I was growing up. But it is another Shabbos delicacy from my childhood that taught me to honor the Sabbath with unique food, as opposed to the other six days of the week. I refer to Rice Krispies, Honey Nut Cheerios, and other sugar cereals that my siblings and I (and, I assume, many others who grew up in the Orthodox Jewish community) were permitted to eat only on Saturday morning—as a replacement for the hot breakfasts our mothers couldn’t cook because of the Sabbath. While we obviously woke up early ready to attend shul, it was unimaginable that we would leave the house until after we ate our own special treat. As I got older and replaced eating sugar cereals before davening with Kiddush that followed, I remember with fondness my youthful excitement at awaking each Saturday morning to observe and remember the Sabbath by making it holy… with Froot Loops.

Menachem Butler is a contributing editor at Tablet, the program cordinator for Jewish Law Projects at The Julis-Rabinowitz Program on Jewish and Israeli Law at the Harvard Law School, and a co-editor of the Seforim blog.