Traditions

The Western Wall is the western portion of the retaining wall of the Temple Mount where the Temple stood. The Hebrew for Western Wall is ha-Kotel ha-Ma'aravi, although it is usually called simply ha-Kotel, the Wall. Over the years, since the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, we have had intermittent access to the Wall depending on who was controlling Jerusalem at the time.

Kiddush is from the Hebrew word for holy or sanctify, to set apart as holy. God set the Sabbath apart as holy. Saying the kiddush on Friday evening dates back about 2,500 years.

Even though we have modernized we still hold some sacred old traditions dear amongst the Jewish community. Jewish wedding traditions are one such old tradition that is still held to this day. Depending on the conservativeness of the Rabbi Jewish weddings can be conducted under firm Jewish law traditions, or if done by a reformed Rabbi a more modernize take on the Jewish wedding can be done. One thing that stays the same though is the Jewish wedding rings. They are the heart and soul of a Jewish wedding.

Tzedakah is from the word meaning righteousness. A tzadek is a righteous person.

A chupah is a large covering that is often used at weddings to cover the bride and groom.

A tallit is a prayer shawl. Tallitot (plural of tallit) are rectangular in shape and have fringes called tzitzits at the four corners.

The word Halakhah comes from the root word halakh which means “to go” and it is the name given to the collective teachings of Jewish laws which involve the regulation of various aspects of Jewish life including the Oral Torah-teachings that were associated with the Torah and used to explain it but are not explicitly presented by the Torah.