Traditions

Candles

Lee Bigg October 08, 2023

Candles are very special in Jewish tradition because they are said to represent the light from the menorah, used in the tabernacle. Candles are burned for various special occasions in Judaism.

Traditionally candles are used to welcome the Shabbat. There is no command to do so in the Torah, but Rabbis decided to make it a commandment for women, since women were excluded from many religious obligations which were reserved for men.

So candle lighting became one of various good deeds considered an obligation of women, which would somehow make atonement for the sins of the first woman and would help to emulate Hannah, the godly mother of Samuel.

Havdallah

Jeff Zaremsky August 27, 2023

Havdallah means “separation” and is a service used to separate the holiness of the Sabbath from the rest of the week. It separates the day that God blessed from the regular workdays of the week. It is also a reminder to us that there is a difference between the holy and the secular. That would include time such as the difference between the Sabbath and the rest of the week, but also the difference between kinds of activities such as the difference between worship and work.

Mixing Matters

Verna-Lee Small June 30, 2023

"...You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk" (Deuteronomy 14:21). Many take this verse to mean it isn't kosher to have meat and dairy in the same meal, or even have milk and meat in the same refrigerator and on the same set of plates. However, I am not sure that it would be accurate. Here is why. When you compare other verses from the Torah on similar topics it seems to indicate that something other than food combinations is actually the point.