Every Friday afternoon, at 3 p.m., like clockwork, the city of Tel Aviv undergoes a transformation. Stores begin shutting down, the market is packed up, the bars and restaurants become silent. For the next twenty-four hours, finding even a carton of milk becomes a challenge.

In the Jewish tradition, this metamorphosis is better known as Shabbat.

Graffiti-covered metal shutters replace the store fronts and the standard greeting of “Shalom” turns into “Shabbat Shalom!” for a day.

Historically, from Friday evening to Saturday evening, sundown to sundown, observers of the tradition of Shabbat will retreat into their homes. In Hebrew, the term means “to cease, to end, to rest,” and is the equivalent of Christian Sunday, the day of rest and the day of worship.

Across Tel Aviv and the rest of Israel, each family gathers into a single house. The women of the households have spent the entire day preparing Challah bread, soups, and various types of mezze that will be served at the evening meal. Because Shabbat is a day for rest as well as for worship, it is tradition that nothing else is done but pray and eat. Food is kept on a slow-burning flame throughout the duration of Shabbat so such menial things as cooking do not interfere with the centuries-old tradition.

As the Torah dictates, at dinner the wine and food are blessed, everyone washes their hands, and the feast begins. Sometimes the meal is shared with friends in large numbers, sometimes it is a small family gathering. The common thread among all Jewish households, be they traditional or more modern in their ways, is the concept of Menuchah, the idea of rest. Worshipers remain in their homes until the end of Saturday, without using their phones, doing homework, watching television, or undertaking any other task that would take them from their prayers.

It may sound as though the guidelines for a “proper Shabbat” are rather strenuous, especially considering the millennial generation that is addicted to its technological gadgets, its social media accounts and its outings with friends. God forbid they miss out on a Friday night party! However, as the country of Israel, and in particular the larger cities such as Tel Aviv and Eilat, break out onto the global platform of technology and advancement, their traditions have followed. Just as western children will personalize their rooms and closets, in the new era Israelis and Jews across the world are personalizing their own traditions. Though the religious authority on how Shabbat should be observed remains unwavering, there has been a clear cultural shift in the greater Israeli cities and among younger generations.

One can see how the newer generations have created a variety of ways to find balance between pleasing their families and enjoying their youth.

In the liberal city of Tel Aviv, both ends of the spectrum exist.

Some will participate in the Friday night dinner with family and then celebrate their youth later in the night at the bar or club of their choosing. Others will gratefully retire their cell phones for the day to undergo a “technology cleanse.” Yet another group will disregard the tradition entirely, going about their days, and expressing their frustration at the limited resources offered in the city during those twenty-four hours.

In spite of the initial afternoon lull, Tel Aviv turns into a vibrant and energetic city by evening-time: most of the hip restaurants, bars and clubs are now owned by twenty-somethings who are more concerned with running their businesses than wasting an entire day’s income on a rigid tradition. The newer generations are catering more and more to their millennial peers, and to increasing numbers of tourists passing through their cities.

Shabbat has a varying effect on the passers-by, the study-abroad students and the tourists of Tel Aviv. For some, it is simply frustrating: the stores and cultural attractions all closed, the streets deserted until night time, and the hotels with their peculiar elevators without buttons that, on a loop, stop at every floor. A tourist that does not know any better might get stuck in the longest elevator ride of their life.

Others, those who are in town for more than a weekend getaway, may become grateful for the tradition: it provides an excuse to be lazy and relaxed for twenty-four hours. As for the party-goers, they are free to dance all night and sleep all day.

Though among Jews Shabbat is a religious and historical tradition, it has in time turned into a weekly cultural event. The evening dinner has become an excuse to have over friends, new and old. Its less rigid guidelines now allow for secular people and other religious minorities to partake in the process. In a conversation, you are more likely to invite the other over for Shabbat dinner, rather than a regular, week-day coffee. It has turned into a special evening for the practicing and non-practicing, religious or not.

With the modernization of the tradition, a program was created in the larger Israeli cities that connects newcomers with natives to share a Shabbat dinner, as an introduction to the city and its traditions. Elsewhere, we might do this by touring the city with a newcomer, or taking them to a fun event in the coolest neighborhood.

In Tel Aviv, what brings people together is a Shabbat dinner.