Havdallah means “separation” and is a service used to separate the holiness of the Sabbath from the rest of the week. It separates the day that God blessed from the regular workdays of the week. It…
One of the most well known Jewish customs connected with the observance of Shabbat (the Sabbath) is the lighting of lamps or candles before sunset on Friday night.
The basic concept in Judaism relating to practice is the Mitzva, a commandment from HaShem. The Torah helps people to lead a life that will be inline with HaShem's laws. Moses ben Maimon, Maimonides,…
Prior to the Holocaust, Yiddish, a language more resembling Middle High German than anything else phonetically, was widely spoken by 11 million people, not as a national language or local tongue, but…
Male circumcision is a well known Jewish tradition. Avraham (Abraham) was called by God and highly honored. God said “’I will cause you to be very fruitful.
The Magen David is the six pointed star also known as the Star of David. Magen David literally means "shield of David." It is not certain when the star became a Jewish symbol, but it was used on…
A mekhitza is a dividing wall or barrier that is used to separate men and women. It could be simply a separate room, a curtain, or anything else that serves as a barrier. Many synagogues do not have…
A get is a divorce under halacha, or Jewish law. The word can also refer to the document that grants the get, though its technical name is sefer k'ritot, or scroll of severance. The sefer k'ritot is…
When a young boy reaches the age of thirteen he is termed a bar mitzvah, which literally means a son of commandments or son of good deeds. For girls the term is bat mitzvah. It is at this age that…
Once the Beth Din had evidence that the new moon had been seen, (see FIXING THE CALENDAR) a new month was declared to have started, and people would know when to observe festivals. Some were informed…
The shofar, made from a ram's horn, has been used by our people for thousands of years. The blowing of the shofar was used to call the people together for war and to call them to the Sanctuary for…
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.