Before the Shabbat meal, the father blesses the children. This is to pray that they will grow up to follow the examples of noble men and women of Jewish history. The father then recites the Kiddush. This is a blessing to thank God for giving Jews Shabbat.
The family all wash their hands. This is an act of purification. They gather around the table while the Father recites a blessing over the two loaves of Challot. This is another blessing to thank God, this time for “bringing bread out of the ground” when the Jews were in the wilderness. There a two loaves of Challot to represent the extra food that had to be gathered the day before Shabbat so that the Jews could rest on their holy day. The Challot is dipped in salt before being passed around and eaten. This is a reminder that the bread is a result of hard work as salt is symbolic of sweat and toil. “By the sweat of your brow you shall get bread to eat”. After the Shabbat meal, songs are sung and stories from the Torah are told. This helps strengthen faith and provides an opportunity for children to learn more about Judaism.
On Shabbat, Jewish people also spend a lot of time in the synagogue. At the synagogue, a Sidra, a small portion of the Sefer Torah, is read. By the end of the year the complete scroll will have been read in this way. The Ark is then opened and the congregation stands as a mark of respect. Seven men recite blessings during the reading of the Sidra. After the reading of the Sefer Torah, an eighth man reads Haftarah, a portion from one of the books of the prophets. After the scroll has been put back in the Ark, the Rabbi gives a sermon that encourages the congregation to keep their faith.
On Saturday, after the morning synagogue service, they go home. They eat an already prepared meal, which follows a similar format to the Friday night meal. In the afternoon, Jewish men and boys return to the synagogue for another service. After dinner, the family may discuss their Jewish studies. In the late afternoon the males in the family go back to the synagogue to study the Torah until nightfall. Meanwhile, females in the family may go to a neighbour’s house to study the Torah. They will take it in turns to host.
When Shabbat goes out, the weekday synagogue service is held. This is because the first star of Saturday night has appeared and Shabbat is over. The Rabbi then performs the Havdalah (separation) which is a ceremony to mark the end of the holy day. Once the blessings over a cup of wine have been said, the separation of the holy day from other days is complete.
Orthodox and Liberal (Reform) Jews observe Shabbat in different ways. While Orthodox Jews will not do any of the forbidden activities like turning on a light, Liberal Jews tend to class work as employment and so may do work such as cooking and cleaning on Shabbat.
If the father is absent in an Orthodox Jewish family, another male will recite the blessings, whereas a women may take on this responsibility in a Liberal family.
Although only men will attend the Saturday service at Orthodox synagogues, women may attend in Reform synagogues. Women may also read from the Torah in Reform synagogues.
The seating in Orthodox and Reform synagogues is also different. In Orthodox synagogues the men and women must sit separately but seating in Reform synagogues allows men and women to sit together.
Although Shabbat occurs once a week, it is still a festival and is celebrated as one. As with any festival, it brings family together, teaches children about their religion and is a continuation of a long-standing tradition.
