When is shabbat celebrated

Shabbat The Jewish Sabbath— Shabbat in Hebrew, Shabbos in Yiddish—is observed every week beginning at sunset on Friday evening and ending after dark on Saturday evening. For religiously observant Jews, Shabbat is as important as any other holy day. Orthodox Jews do not work or travel on Shabbat. Consequently, Friday evening or Saturday classes or exams will generally pose a conflict for Orthodox Jewish students.

Traditionally celebrated with sweet or round foods such as apples and honey, and the blowing of the shofar , a hollowed-out ram's horn, during religious services.

A customary greeting is shanah tovah or "happy new year! On Saturday, after visiting the synagogue, the family shares another meal. The afternoon is spent studying the Torah and playing games as a family. On Friday evening, prayers are said at the synagogue. In Orthodox synagogues, these prayers happen at sunset, whereas in Reform synagogues they happen at a set time. Shabbat is welcomed with hymns, prayers and psalms called Kabbalat Shabbat.

The afternoon service on Saturday includes a reading from the Torah as well as prayers. After the sun has set on the Saturday evening, the end of Shabbat is marked with the Havdalah service. Blessings are performed over a cup of wine to thank God for what he has provided.

A box of spices is passed around for everyone to smell. This reminds Jews that Shabbat is the spice of the week — a time for reflection, family and rejuvenation before the next week.

Family meals are occasions for singing, studying, and celebrating together, as well as for consuming distinctive Shabbat foods. Shabbat observance in the public sphere is focused on the synagogue, from the lively welcoming service, Kabbalat Shabbat , to the pensive farewell ceremony, Havdalah. The daily round of prayer services is augmented and endowed with a unique atmosphere. Special melodies and liturgy are used, and the familiar prayers are supplemented with passages in prose and poetry extolling God for the divine gift of the Shabbat and its delights.

At the major worship service on Saturday morning, a portion of the Torah is read aloud as part of a year-long cycle, supplemented by a passage from one of the prophetic books called a haftarah.

The rabbis of antiquity deduced that all labors necessary for constructing a sanctuary and its appurtenances should serve as the blueprint for Shabbat prohibitions.

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