Many times we hear the pair of words “Shabbat Shalom”, but what Shabbat is? and how Jews mark it? (THREAD)
The word “Shabbat” in Hebrew originated from the root ש-ב-ת which means ceased/stopped.
According to the Hebrew bible, on the seventh day God ceased his labor and reached the climax of Creation.
Shabbat in Judaism signifies the difference between the rest of the ordinary week and this holy day. On the seventh day, man stops from doing the usual things he does during the week and his soul connects to divinity and holiness.
Shabbat atmosphere begins on Friday morning, where the family is organizing the house cleaning and cooking. Before the sun sets, Jewish women carry a blessing on Shabbat & their families and light Shabbat candles to bring peace, calmness and light to their houses.
It’s customary for the men to be in the synagogues, and receive the Shabbat in a variety of prayers and Piyyutim (Jewish poets). Afterwards the man comes back to his family and they’re having Shabbat dinner.
Shabbat dinner consists of a blessing reminiscent of the creation of the world and the Exodus from Egypt thanks to God. The father blessed the wine that sipped by all family members, then blessed the challah and give all members to eat.
The family sing poets and then eat the dinner. The commandment on Shabbat is to be savored, the person has to enjoy all the goodness of the food, relax and connect with his soul. Even some say that it’s recommended to have sex to fulfill and empower the pleasure of the day.
At the end of Shabbat (Saturday evening), when the stars can be seen in the sky, Shabbat is over and a ceremony is held in which tell the difference between Shabbat and the rest of the days. The Shabbat manifests itself differently in each of the Jews:
Religious and traditional Jews will usually observe it by keeping it- they’ll not drive, work or turn on electrical appliances. Most secular Jews are observing the Shabbat by family meal and are often having a prayer and blessing but will not observe all the commandments.
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