Just finished reading...

A Shabbat Manual (1972) by The Central Conference of American Rabbi's

It's only a 104 page book so it didn't take too long to read and underline things that stood out to me.

I thought I would share a few things that I underlined and what I learned...

... The Shabbat tradition provides 3 modes for the enhancement of personal life: Kedushah, Menuchah, and Oneg.

*Kedushah (holiness) requires that Shabbat be singled out as different from the weekdays. It must be distinguished from the other days of the week so that those who observe it will become transformed by it's holiness. One ought, therefore, to do certain things which contribute to an awareness of this day's special nature, and to abstain from doing others which lessen our awareness.

*Menuchah (rest), as expressed though Shabbat, is more than relaxation and abstaining from work. It is a condition of the soul, a physical and spiritual release from weekday pressures. If the week is characterized by competition, rush, and turmoil, their absence will contribute to serenity. It is this quality of Menuchah which leads tradition to call Shabbat 'a foretaste of of the days of Messiah'.

*Oneg (joy), as experienced on Shabbat, is more than fun and pleasure. It is the kind of joy that enhances our personal lives and leaves us truly enriched for the week ahead. Shabbat gives us a quantity of 'free' time and thereby, a qualitative potential of freedom--time during which man can be himself and do for himself and for others what he could never accomplish during the other days of the week.

......... It is a hallowed custom for the parents to bless their children, grown-up or young, on Shabbat and holy days. In many homes, the head of the household recites 'A Woman of Valor' while children in turn ask God's blessing on their elders.



.....It is a hallowed custom for parents to bless their children, grown-up or young at the end of Shabbat.

Do you ladies or your husbands pray a blessing over your children? I remember reading many times in the Old Testament how the adults would bless their children one way or another and that always stuck with me. :-)

.......As you bless your children:

To the sons say: God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh

To daughters say: God make you like Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah.

To sons and daughters: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the Lord turn His face unto you and give you peace.

....... The Torah designates eight days in the calendar as holy convocations --

Shabbat, first day of Pesach, seventh day of Pesach, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, forst day of Succot, and eight day of Succot.

....... The term "shabbat" means 'rest' or 'refraining from work'.

....... The following forms of labor are specifically prohibited on Sabbath:

gathering food, gathering wood, plowing, harvesting, baking and cooking food, carrying burdens into the city or in and out of a house, selling grain or corn or other victuals, carrying on business in any form, treading winepresses, loading animals with corn, wine, figs, grapes and other burdens, bringing fish or any kinf od ware into the city. One may not leave his 'place' on Shabbat, meaning that one may not go beyond his city or village.

It is forbidden to kindle a fire on Shabbat.

The Sabbath is to be kept holy, meaning that it is to be distinguished and set apart from the rest of the week.

......The Mishnah, the core of the talmudic literature lists 39 major categories of work prohibited on Shabbat, a few taken directly from the Torah itself and most arrived at through inference. These are:

sowing, ploughing, reaping, binding sheaves, threshing, winnowing, cleansing crops, grinding, sifting, kneading, baking, shearing wool, washing or beating or dyeing it, spinning, weaving, making two loops, weaving two threads, separating two threads, typing a knot, loosening a knot, sewing two stitches, tearing in order to sew two stitches, hunting a gazelle, slaughtering, flaying, or salting it or curing it's skin, scraping it or cutting it up, writing two letters of the alphabet, erasing in order to write two letters, building, pulling down, extinguishing a fire, lighting a fire, striking with a hammer, and carrying an object from one domain to another. (Yeah, some of this stuff makes one scratch their head in wonderment, but I thought it was neat so I type in here to share)

...... While much of the Shabbat law in the Talmud appears as a heaping of prohibitationupon prohibitation, in actualality a large part of the halachah is an attempt by the rabbi's to lessen the harshness and severity of the biblical law by means of a more liberal interpretation. Biblical law had stated "You shall kindle no fire in all your habitations on the day of Shabbat" (Exodus 35:3). This could be interpreted to mean that no light or heat in any form would be permitted in a home from the beginning to the end of Shabbat. The rabbinical authorities permitted light and heat on Shabbat if the fire had been kindled before Shabbat began.

..... The Christian Gospels accused Judaism of forbidding healing of the sick on Shabbat. Actually, rabbinic law put all Shabbat restrictions aside when life and health were at stake.

..... In honoring the day and making it a delight, it became a religious duty before Shabbat commenced to put one's home or room in order, wash hands, face, and feet in hot water, and put on clean clothes which had not been worn on weekdays. One should recieve the Shabbat, the rabbi's taught, as if one were going forth to meet the king.

Glossary:

*Avodah: "Worship"

*Bar Mitzvah: "Son of Mitzvah" (original meaning: obligated to do mitzvah); status of the 13 year old boy who undertakes performance of the mitzvot by himself.

*Bat Mitzvah: "Daughter of Mitzvah"; status of the 13 year old girl who undertakes performance of the mitzvot by herself.

*Birkat Hamazon: "Blessing of the meal"; prayer said after eating.

*Berit: "Covenant"; distinctive relationship of the people of Israel with God.

*Challah: "Bread loaf"; name given to special Shabbat bread used for saying motzi at the beginning of Shabbat or holiday meal.

*Erev Shabbat: "Eve of Sabbath"; Friday

*Gemilut Chasadim: "Acts of loving concern"; according to the Sages, one of the three

fundamentals of human obligation and opportunity.

*Haftarah: "Conclusion"; biblical reading in addition to Torah portion.

*Havdalah: "Separation"; prayers and ritual concluding Shabbat.

*Halachah: "Way to go"; Jewish law.

*Kedusha: "Holiness", the Hebrew word has the connotation of separation, setting aside.

*Kiddush: "Sanctification" ; prayers said usually over wine to signify the beginning of Shabbat or holiday.

*Minchah: "Afternoon", afternoon prayers.

*Mitzvah: (plural, mitzvot): "Commandment"; performance of an act of distinctive Jewish quality often accompanied by a blessing.

*Menuchah: "Rest".

* Motzi: "He who brings forth", key word in the blessing over food; said before eating.

*Oneg: "Joy" :-D

*Oneg Shabbat: "Joy of the Sabbath"; often also used for collation after Shabbat services.

*Shabbat: "Sabbath"; the 7th day of the week.

*Shabbat Menuchah: "Sabbath rest", condition of repose on Shabbat.

*Shabbat Shalom: "Sabbath peace"; greeting for Shabbat.

*Shacharit: "Morning" ; morning prayers.

*Shemirat Shabbat: "Observance of the Sabbath"

*Sidra: "Arrangement", term for weekly Torah portion.

* Torah: "Instruction"; 5 books of Moses; in a wider sense, the whole range of Jewish learning.

Zemirot: "Songs"; special hymns sung on Shabbat.

And that is just a small preview of the blessings I got while reading this book. :-D I don't know what book I will read next. I have a little widget thing at the top left of my blog that will tell you what I am reading next. It's not always going to be a Jewish book...I have books from over 2 years ago I bought off eBay that I still have yet to read. :-)

I know on most blogs everyone is taking pictures of their Christmas tree and decorations and eventually, just for your enjoyment, I will toss some pictures up here but for the time being, it's not really an importance to me. Once you've seen one Christmas tree, you've seen them all anyway.

I am digging deeper into the 'whys' of the subjects I posted the other day because it's important to know what Yahweh's Word has to say about them. Wouldn't you agree? These area's may bore some of you. Sorry about that. I am just super excited to learn and grow for Him. What can be more important than that?

Blessings,

Dawn