Celebrating the Sabbath

Above: The Jewish home becomes the house of God. The Sabbath begins on Friday evening when the woman of the house lights the Sabbath candles, which separates the sacred time from the profane time.

Below: The table is ornately adorned for the Sabbath meal. Two challah loaves covered with a cloth lie on the table in front of the head of the family, symbolising the double Manna during the Israelites' wandering in the desert. Also on the table is the cup over which the blessing (Kiddusch), which begins the Sabbath, is said. The weekly passage from the Torah is read three times.

Above: Lighting the candles on Friday evening. (wood engraving from "Birkat hamason", Amsterdam 1723), unknown artist; source: Jüdisches Lexikon, Berlin 1930, vol. 4, Sp. 21.

Below: Table laid for the Sabbath with candles, colour photograph, ca. 2009, photographer: מאטעלע; source: Wikimedia Commons, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PikiWiki_Israel_12123_shabat.JPG?uselang=de.

Creative Commons-Lizenz Namensnennung 2.5 US-amerikanisch (nicht portiert).