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Judaism Shabbat Summary Essay

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Judaism is an ancient religion which originated in the Middle East and has spread throughout the world. Today the followers of Judaism have many tradition s and rituals in which are celebrated all year round in thanks and in praise to God. Shabbat is one of the most important rituals and is celebrated by nearly every variant of the Jewish Religion.

Judaism is essentially a practical religion. It is lived through observance of the law that God has revealed. Accordingly, the understanding of a moral law is that such a law is embedded in the revelation of God. It is the responsibility of human beings, therefore to study the, principally the Torah, in order to understand the appropriate response to moral questions. The Torah serves as a …show more content…

There are various rituals associated with the Sabbath. Just before the Sabbath is about to start the wife lights two candles. The first candle is meant to represent the injunction to keep the Sabbath and the second candle represents the commandment to remember the Sabbath. A short synagogue service takes place at sunset to mark the beginning of the Sabbath.

The most important celebration that takes place on the Friday of the Sabbath is the Shabbat dinner. This takes place at home with family and friends. The Shabbat table is laid with two loaves, known as "hallot" which, like the candles, represent the dual Shabbat commandments to keep and remember Sabbath, and cups, over which Kiddush is recited. The father blesses the children in order of age, before Kiddush is recited over the wine, which "gladdens the heart" (Psalm 104:15).

On the following day, two meals are eaten, one following the morning synagogue service and the second meal is eaten in the afternoon, generally with coffee and cake. The former meal is preceded by Kiddush. Saturday morning is usually spent in Torah study at the synagogue. The highlight of the service is the reading of a specified segment of the Torah.

The appearance of three stars in the darkened sky at sunset marks the end of the Shabbat. At this point,havdalah is recited. Essentially, havdalah which means "division" is a recitation which praises God for creating distinctions, between what is considered sacred

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