and chores that we all have to complete in order to live such as shopping or cleaning. With no moments of peace in between work and daily life, it is so simple to quickly feel enervated. This paper will bring you enlightenment about a day celebrated within Judaism called “Shabbat” or “Sabbath” which…
Shabbat is a religious holiday of the Jewish faith. There are similarities between the ideas behind this and other culture’s day of rest, although Shabbat differs somewhat in its customs and spirit. Right when the Shabbat starts as the sun begins to set on Friday the mother of the family lights the candles and says a prayer welcoming the Shabbat. It is customary in many homes to light a candle for each child although this is not a practice carried out entirely across the board. After the candles…
question are all the characteristics of someone who is more interested in presenting themselves as someone righteous but who is afraid of the truth. To have a discourse that is calm and personable is how someone expresses they genuinely care about finding their personal truth. I am constantly discussing deep topics with my dad, such as does G-d exist, is there an afterlife, and why is there evil in the world. It is through these conversations that I can truly find what to believe in. I think…
We visited the Synagogue on Shabbat to attend a combination of a mitzvah service and a regular Shabbat service. Shabbat is Hebrew for rest and on Saturdays Jews use this day of rest to praise god and reflect on their religion. Jews are forbidden from doing certain things on Shabbat, such as, cooking, driving, handling money, using the phone, turning on lights, and writing letters. As one can see Shabbat is quite restrictive, however, these laws are in place to ensure that Jews show proper…
A synagogue is a house of Yahweh, a place to feel His presence, worship and joins a community of believers in prayer. Behavior in a synagogue should be appropriately respectful. Since the synagogue is considered a house of Yahweh, it is usually appropriate to wear nice clothes. So, for the Shabbat service, I wore slacks, long sleeve dress shirt, and tie. The outside of the synagogue was modest and beautiful. Upon entering the synagogue, you arrive in a beautifully decorated gathering area. The…
High Holidays, and is strong in its stance of commemorating the Holocaust - as well as a school renowned for a strong liberal arts program, which welcomes faculty and students of all backgrounds. All institutions with a Jewish heritage - including schools, community centres, and other places which could not exist without the Jewish people -must think before quickly denying their Jewish identity, which could lead to a level of extremism even non-Jews refused to approach. Unfortunately, Brandeis’…
Center, while close to campus, was rather hard to get to due to the construction in the area. The building is not one that I would assume was a religious one, as there were no religious markers on the exterior of the building. In the foyer of the Hillel Center, there is a table in which the candles that symbolized the beginning of the Shabbat ceremony sat on. Around the table sat many pieces of informational literature explaining the rituals of the ceremony as well as contact cards for the…
I attended a Reform Jewish service at Temple Beth Shalom in Vero Beach, Florida on Friday, October 23, 2015 at 7:30pm which is known to the Jews as the Sabbath or Shabbat in Hebrew. I met a fellow student Mitzie Chatram at the Temple approximately fifteen minutes early so that we may introduce ourselves to the Rabbi. From the parking lot I was drawn immediately to Temple’s roof line which was dramatically arched with its highest point in the center and the sides bowed inward. There was beautiful…
It was 1934, a period of sorrow and hardship. The earth was frozen over. The Germans would throw a grenade to soften the earth, and then force us, young women and girls, to dig the ditches, two and three meters deep into the ground. Every Shabbat (Judaism’s day of rest) morning, two girls would stand vigil to warn us when the S.S. guards (protective squad) would approach. We didn’t want to work on the holy Shabbat. We sang Shabbat songs and prayers, we told each other stories of ancient and…
According to Judaism you don’t have to do anything, but in Jewish traditions normally there is a big meal, and then there is music and dancing unless the Bar-Mitzvah party is during Shabbat. Finally the age old question. What gift should I bring as a present. These are the customary presents. A book about judaism or just for learning, religious items such as a necklace with a david star, a kiddush cup, tallit, tzitzit, etc, gift certificate of some sort, or money. The money is normally given in…