Shabbat Shalom: Interpretation Of The Torah

Shabbat Shalom! This was the introduction that I received when I entered a Jewish synagogue. When entering the synagogue it reminded of entering a typical church, there were pews and at the very front was a large stage. On the stage was a keyboard, a wooden podium with a blue cloth over it. Also there was a wooden ark behind the podium and if you opened up the ark you would see where the Torah was stored. An interesting fact about the placement of the ark is it is facing were Jerusalem is located. An important thing I learned is the different interpretations of the Torah. No matter the interpretation of the Torah, the celebration of Shabbat is about bringing together god and families. I attended a Shabbat service on Friday at Temple Emanuel located in my hometown of Gastonia, North Carolina. I attended the Shabbat service with some family friends, who helped me better understand the rituals of Shabbat. Shabbat, or Sabbath, is significant because it reflects when God created the universe, and on the seventh day God blessed that it be considered a holy day. The seventh day is considered a day of rest, also it is a day to spend with the family. Shabbat starts on Friday at after sunset and continues into Saturday. References to Sabbath can be found in Genesis Chapter 2. According to Exodus 31:12-17, breaking Sabbath leads to the ultimate …show more content…
According to my friends during the dinner there are several different blessings that are occurring, one of the interesting blessings was the Kiddush blessing. This blessing occurs over the wine or grape juice served in a silver goblet cup. It is passed around starting with the eldest person ending on the youngest person. Before the Kiddush blessing the challah has to be blessed. Challah is a braided bread that is served during holidays. Also during Shabbat there is a blessing for the lighting of the candles. However, the two candles are lit by the females of the