| By :
Mark Etinger
Shabbat is considered by many Jewish scholars to be the most important holiday of all, at it is the only holiday specifically mentioned in the Ten Commandments. The first time it is mentioned occurs in Exodus 16, immediately following the Lord delivering the people of Israel out of Egypt. The Lord says to the people of Israel, through Moses, that "tomorrow will be a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath day set apart for the LORD. So bake or boil as much as you want today, and set aside what is left for tomorrow." Since this point, Shabbat has been considered a blessing gift from God. Of course, this mention of the Sabbath resonates with the one of the earliest passages in the Old Testament during Gods creation of existence. In Genesis 2:3 it is written "So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation." While the seventh day is not specifically dubbed Shabbat at this point, it is the first time the Old Testament makes mention of a day of rest. The first restriction for the Jewish people on Shabbat initially was the creating of food. However, since then, many more rules and regulations have been developed for practicing this Jewish day of rest. A morning service occurs, including "Keriat HaTorah," which is the reading of that weeks Torah portion. The service also includes a reading from the Haftarah, as well as a Musaf section. While there are a plethora of Shabbat rituals and customs that are suppose to take place at its beginning, the three most identifiable are, in order: -The lighting of the Shabbat Candles -The blessing over the Sabbath Wine -The Blessing over Challot, the Jewish Bread The first step is the lighting of the candles, which is done by the eldest woman of the home. After igniting the flame, the woman waives her hands over the candles, and then covers her eyes as she recites the prayer. The blessing over the Sabbath Wine is called Kiddush, which translated means "sanctification." Typically done by the father of the household, the blessing over the wine offers thanks to the Lord for the Jewish gift of Shabbat. Challah is the braided bread eaten by the Jewish people on Shabbat, as well as most other holidays (Pesach excluded). Most families will have two loafs of Challah at the table, a symbol of the manna that feel from the heavens as God led the people of Israel out of Egypt, which as you’ve already read, was when he gave them the blessing gift of Shabbat. Like the wine, a blessing is said over the Challah, and pieces are typically dipped into salt, just like the Sacrificies at the Ancient Temple were salted. Items used on Shabbat make great Jewish gifts. Beautiful Kiddush cups, elegant Shabbat candlesticks, and fine-looking challah boards, for example, are a wonderful addition to any home. And any practicing family will use them every week, making this Judaica gift not only generous, but useful. As the sun sets on Shabbat, observant Jews take part in the Havdalah ceremony, which translated means "separation." Like the opening ceremony, the Havdalah service includes wine and a candle. However, the Havdalah candle is different, in that it is typically taller and is braided with a series of wicks.
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