Rituals

Shabbat (the 'Sabbath')

The Sabbath remembers the seventh day of creation, when God rested (Genesis 2:4), and the Exodus from Egypt. Jewish Sabbath begins on a friday evening at sunset and concludes on Saturday evening. Shabbat is celebrated with a family meal, in which candles are lit, people sing, and stories and recollections of the past week are shared.

Passover

Passover is celebrated with an annual festival to remember the story of how God freed the Hebrews from their enslavement in Egypt. Passover is commemorated with a family meal and service around the family table. This celebration includes songs, story-telling, reminiscing and rejoicing. Matzah (a special unleavened cracker) is eaten for the week of the festival.

Life Rituals

Family and community greatly influence Judaism''s powerful set of rituals to commemorate significant moments in a persons life.

These celebrations include birth and naming ceremonies (including circumcision for Jewish boys at eight days of age), coming of age ceremonies (bar-mitzvah for boys and bat-mitzvah for girls), Marriage rites (commonly called chuppah, which is a canopy under which the bride and groom stand for the wedding) and funeral ceremonies.