Special festivals and days through out the year mark the Jewish calendar. These festivals are known as Yom Tovim. On many of these occasions the Jewish community are governed by certain rules that are found in the Torah. Some of these certain festivals are acknowledged and celebrated more in the Jewish Synagogue. These festivals are the Pesach, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Hanukah and the Shabbat.
One festival is the celebrated all year round is the Shabbat. The Jewish Sabbath or Shabbat as it is said in Hebrew is on a Saturday, the 7th day of the week. It commemorates that after creating the world, God refrained from work on the 7th day. The word, Shabbat means in Hebrew to cease, end or rest, and that is exactly what Jews do. They refrain from work. There are 39 categories of banned activities, some of which include baking, sewing, slaughtering, watching TV, driving the car, using a hammer and creating a fire.
Jews praying in the Synagogue on Yom Kippur. (1878...
Pool of a medieval mikvah in Speyer, dating back t...
English: High priest offering a sacrifice of a goa...A typical Shabbat begins at about 2pm on a Friday afternoon. This is when many Jews leave work and return home to clean, bath and dress up. At sundown, the women of the house recite blessings and light the Shabbat candles. The family will then attend a short evening service, and then return home for a festive, but leisurely meal. After dinner, the family will then study the torah and go to bed. In the morning, a Jewish family will rise, and go to a 3 hour service. They will return home and again study the torah. The Shabbat concludes at nightfall, after more blessings and feasts.
Rosh Hannah is the festival of the Jewish New Year. It occurs on the first two days of the Jewish New Year of the 1st and 2nd of Tishrei, which is the...