Shabbat

• Shabbat is on the seventh day of the week and it is the day of rest. Shabbat happens each week from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday
• It is a time for family and community, and during this time Jews will go to the synagogue
• No work is to be done on Shabbat. This includes no cooking or driving
• In Jewish homes, the house is tidied and the food is prepared the day before Shabbat
• There will be two loaves of challah bread to represent the food God provided for the Israelites in the desert
•  Drinking wine on Shabbat shows that this is a joyful, celebratory time
•  They eat a meal together as a family on Friday evening. Before any food is eaten, blessings are said for the children, and kiddush (a prayer sanctifying the Sabbath) is said over the wine to make Shabbat holy
• Meal ends with a prayer and thanksgiving for food meals
• Jews will sing songs, tell religious stories such as Moses, and enjoy family time
• Jews will go to the synagogue on Saturday. The Torah is read on the bimah and the rabbi will read it out in Hebrew
• Towards the end of Shabbat, there is a special blessing called the Havdalah blessing
• A female member of the family will light two candles on the Sabbath and recite the blessing over the candles