Identifier: jewishceremonia00rose (find matches)
Title: Jewish ceremonial institutions and customs
Year: 1912 (1910s)
Authors: Rosenau, William, 1865-1943
Subjects: Judaism -- Customs and practices
Publisher: Baltimore, Md. : The Lord Baltimore Press
Contributing Library: Princeton Theological Seminary Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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hronological order in describing the institu-tions practiced in the home. n6 Sabbath in the Home Before proceeding to them we shall takeup the Sabbath. The Sabbath among Jews is a day.of joy,and the ceremonial institutions which mark itare therefore all expressive of its joyouscharacter. While the head of the family isat the synagogue, welcoming in the publicdevotion the day of rest, the wife and mother,or in the case of her absence, the oldest fe-male member of the home, decks the table inthe dining room with a white cloth and placesupon it two candlesticks, each of which con-tains a wax or tallow taper, kindled by herjust before sundown, while reciting the bene-diction : Blessed be the Lord, our God, King of theUniverse, Who has commanded us to kindle the Sab-bath lights. On the eve of festivals, when the sameceremony is observed, the word festival is substituted for the word Sabbath inthe benediction. The candlesticks are either of burnishedbrass or silver. In some instances a can-
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Candlesticks and Candelabra Sabbath in the Home 117 delabrum is used in place of the candlesticks,and in a number of cases homes are providedwith Sabbath lamps, supplied with sevenbrackets for lights, and suspended from theceiling of the living room. In addition to the Sabbath lights, twoloaves of bread, called Berches becausesymbols of Gods blessing, the double portionof manna with which ancient Israel was pro-vided on Friday,1 are placed on the tabledirectly in front of the seat to be occupied bythe head of the family during the eveningmeal. These Berches are usually bakedat the home by the housewife, who is in dutybound to take the Challah (correspond-ing to the first part of the dough to be givento the priest) ,2 which she places into the stoveto be burnt. This act is also accompaniedby a benediction, in which God is blessed forcommanding the separation of the Challah. When the husband and father returnsfrom the synagogue his children gather about 1 Ex. 16: 22. 2 Numb. 15 : 17-21.

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