Where do I begin?

[blessed2]

Need help! I'm overwhelmed.
I want to observe shabbat. I understand you light a candle prior to sundown...on Friday? but beyond that I'm lost. How to prepare, certain no-no's, meals?????
Kosher? Any suggested reading there?
Prayers?
Spacific laws.....
I need a jumping off place.
Should a woman cover her head when she prays?
What is "davening"?

 

[Amandine]

I was just about to post something similar. Please, give us a "where to start" primer
-Catherine

 

[yod]

Following the rabbinic tradition, you find the time that the sun goes down in your local newspaper. Then, you cover your head and the Ima (mother) lights the 2 Shabbat candles and says a specific prayer of blessing which welcomes in the sanctified time of Sabbath.

It is usually said in hebrew but I'm sure the Lord will understand English if that is too much for you

Since I'm "not the mama" I have never said it but it goes something like this, "Blessed are you, O Lord Our God who has sancitified us by Your commandments and given us the Shabbat"

I'm sure this will be amended by an Ima here soon...and given in hebrew.


At first it will seem hard to REST (imagine that?) but once you have done this a few times you will begin seeing what a blessing it is to stop the whole world and get off....even if only for a day.

 

[SonWorshipper]

Yup, I'm the Ima!

Go to http://www.chabad.org/ and on the right hand side is a field to put your zip code in to get your exact time to light.

I'll be back later with more details.

One blessing is ( in English) Blessed are you Oh L-rd our G-d who has sanctified us and commanded us to light the Sabbath candles.


Baruch atah Adonai Eloheynu melech ha-olam,
asher kid-shanu b'mitz-votav,
v'tzinvanu l'hadlik neyr shel Shabbat


If you have a daughter she may light one. But at least two are lighted ( by the woman) , the meaning is in following the fourth commandment, where we are commanded to Remember and Observe.

I have some links that I have saved that may be helpful to you, I will find them and post back.

Shalom

 

[SonWorshipper]

Need help! I'm overwhelmed.
I want to observe shabbat. I understand you light a candle prior to sundown...on Friday? but beyond that I'm lost. How to prepare, certain no-no's, meals?????
Kosher? Any suggested reading there?
Prayers?
Spacific laws.....
I need a jumping off place.
Should a woman cover her head when she prays?
What is "davening"?

One step at a time. Don't worry, you don't need to learn it all at once. The L-rd is pleased that you want to learn and He is very patient.

Real quick I will give you some reading

Kosher - List of "Clean" foods

Biblical Kashrut ( Kosher)

Celebrate the Shabbat - One of the first sites I read Return to G-d

Messianic Shabbat

Should a woman cover her head when she prays?

A woman should cover her head when she prays, in fact the first is when saying the blessing over the Shabbat candles. As per Rabbi Sha'ul she should also cover her head when prophecying as well. A scarf will do just fine.

What is "davening"

Jewish Praying or prayers, specifically the prayers said in synogogue, mainly by the men ( in a group of 10 or more though).

I understand you light a candle prior to sundown...on Friday?

It has to be at least two, as I said before in honor of the commandment to remember and observe. They are lit no later than 18 minutes before the sun goes down on Friday.

I will be back later and share my Challah recipe with you, it is a very good one and I catch heck if I don't bring some to oneg!

 

[KelsayDL]

SW!


I have a question on kosher "foods".

Is coffee kosher? I didn't see it on your list, maybe I missed it.

.....Please say Yes.....

 

[koilias]

SW!


I have a question on kosher "foods".

Is coffee kosher? I didn't see it on your list, maybe I missed it.

.....Please say Yes.....

If coffee wasn't kosher, millions of Isrealis would be in your predicament.

one of the things I enjoyed most about Israel was sitting in Aroma's. They don't make "Cafe Haphuch" like they do!

Very best,

Koi

 

[SonWorshipper]

Yes, Coffee is a bean, vegetable , therefore considered parve, or neutral, as it is not animal matter. That site was an abridged version, so sorry for the panic!


Now go have a cuppa Java and calm your nerves!

BTW Did you know it's a sin for a woman to make coffee?
Yup, it's in the Bible.

It says . . . "Hebrews!"

 

[Henaynei]

SW!

I have a question on kosher "foods".

Is coffee kosher? I didn't see it on your list, maybe I missed it.

.....Please say Yes.....

While the coffee bean being pareve is kosher, certain ingredients are not necessarily kosher. This is especially true of the flavored coffees. Plain roasted coffee beans are kosher - but again, if the equipment used to roast or grind them is also used to process items that aren't kosher (many and various companies "timeshare" equipment to save on overhead), then neither is the coffee. There are plenty of very decent coffees, whole and ground, plain and flavored, that carry a reputable kosher designation including Maxwell House, Folgers, many of the whole bean Starbucks flavors, etc... Look for and patronize them

It's a mitzvah!

 

[blessed2]

Yup, I'm the Ima!

Sonworshiper,
you are always so wonderful....I hope you are a teacher somewhere for if anyone has the understandings and workings of love, it is you.

 

[blessed2]

BTW Did you know it's a sin for a woman to make coffee?
Yup, it's in the Bible.

Is it really? If thats true Honey has a whole new job and I have something else to be thanking the L-rd for. lol

 

[KelsayDL]

BTW Did you know it's a sin for a woman to make coffee?
Yup, it's in the Bible.

It says . . . "Hebrews!"

lol...


Well, I know for a fact it should be a sin for my wife to make coffee!

 

[SonWorshipper]

Kelsey, did you spend the night in the doghouse or do you not let your wife know about this forum?

 

[KelsayDL]

I'm ALWAYS in the dog house.

 

[SonWorshipper]

Is it really? If thats true Honey has a whole new job and I have something else to be thanking the L-rd for. lol

HeHe, Just tell him to look on the pages in the Bible after Philemon, there should be no more arguments then!

He Brews!

But just remind him that She still rules the kitchen! So clean up after!

 

[SonWorshipper]

Sonworshiper,
you are always so wonderful....I hope you are a teacher somewhere for if anyone has the understandings and workings of love, it is you.

Ah, now you made me blush but I do love to share all I learn and all I have with anyone, isn't that what it's all about?

Ok, back to business Here is the other blessing I promised you, this is the one I mainly use although the one above is the norm around the world for all Jews Messianic or not, but I prefer to lift up the name of Yeshua, so this is what I mostly use, but you should learn both.

Baruch atta Adonai, Eloheynu Melech Ha'Olam
Asher kid'shanu Al y'dey emu-nah
B'Yeshua HaMoshiach Or Ha'Olam
Uvishmo Maklikim Ha'nari Shel Shabbat.




As you can see they are fairly similar

Here is another Messianic one a little different than the one above:

Baruch atah Ad-nai Elohenu melekh ha-olam,

asher kidshanu b'id v'rekha vna-tahn la-noo

et Yeshua m'she-chay-noo,

v'tzee-va-noo l'he-oat oar la-oh-lahm. Ah-main.



Blessed are You or Lord our God, King of the Universe,

Who has sanctified us in Your Word,

and given us Yeshua our Messiah,

and commanded us to be light to the world. Amen.



Now, no later than 18 minutes before sundown (check the link above for your time, EACH WEEK) you will light at least two candles. These candles should already be placed on your already set dining room table (or where ever you are eating the Shabbat meal). You may have more than two candles but never less. I like to have lots of candles, I have even made some candle holders for Shabbat the say in Hebrew Yeshua, the light of the world.

In Messianic Judaism the candle meanings besides the traditional to Remeber and observe would be for the first candle to represent creation, for in the beginning G-d said "Let there be light" and the second candle representing Yeshua who said "I am the Light of the World".


Now you will cover your head with a scarf (traditional, can be silk or lace) and you will light the candles and then cover your eyes and say the blessing ( don't worry about it at first you may look on a piece of paper and just say it in English first) then you take your hands and encircle them around the candles three times as if bringing the scent of them ( just an example, they don't need to be scented and really shouldn't be) in towards you , thus spreading the light around the room. Some then stretch out their hands towards the candles and look at the light through the fingers. At this time you may say a silent prayer and then Shabbat officially begins!



I think that there is an online Siddur somewhere I will look for you. But remember you need to have two loaves of bread ( Challah) and a bottle of wine to start with and then a nice meal that is already prepared and ready to serve after the blessings.



Now you will sit down with your family and your husband will take over, the blessing is now said over the children, one for boys and one for girls:

Parental Blessings

For sons:
Y'simeich Elohim k'Efrayim v'chiMenashe.

God make you as Ephraim and Menasseh.

For daughters:
Y'simeich Elohim k'Sara Rivka Rachael v'Leah.

God make you as Sarah, Rebeccah, Rachel and Leah.

The blessings continue for all the children:
Y'varech'cha Adonai v'yishm'recha, Ya'er Adonai panav elecha vichuneka, Yisa Adonai panav elecha v'yasem l'cha shalom.

The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His countenance shine upon you and be gracious unto you, the Lord lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace.


You may add other blessings that you would like the L-rd to bestow upon them as well, making it personal each week will make the children feel special and truly blessed by their parents as well as the L-rd!

To be continued.............

 

[SonWorshipper]

Ok, now the day will be sanctified- set apart, you will need the bottle of wine and two glasses ( when you can get one that is special for just this, I have ones I made that have "Yeshua, the true vine" engraved on them) and some grape juice for the children and glasses for them as well. Children like to feel grown up on this day but I don't believe that wine should be served them but they can feel special if you by some inexpensive plastic wine glasses ( like the disposable ones) at a party store or I have even seen them in my local Dollar store and this way there is no chance of breakage and bad feelings on Shabbat!



OK, now back to your husband, he will uncork the wine ( if not already done so) and pour it into his glass till full to symbolize the fullness and goodness of the L-rd. He will then raise his hand with it in it and say this blessing, which is a blessing of the wine but also a sanctification of the day, the seventh day:



Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, borey p'ree hagafen. Amein.

Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has created the fruit of the vine.



Now he will sip the wine and then pass it to you, and any other adults at the table. He will then fill your glass ( if you will like having wine with your dinner ( traditional) as well as the childrens glasses, or they can have a little for the blessing of the grape juice that he can pour before saying the blessing and then switch to milk or something else for dinner. But remember that it is the fruit of the vine and that is what Yeshua is so it is a good teaching vessel for the children so it should not be substituted unless for medical reasons.



The next thing that we do is the hand-washing ceremony, this is not mandatory but we enjoy doing it. It reminds one of the Priests when in the temple how they cleansed themselves before serving the L-rd. I have placed on the table a large bowl and a pitcher full of water along with a special hand towel (which is just a bathroom or kitchen towel) but I use it only for this and it matches my Shabbat table settings. The bowl is passed in some places and others it is done by the host. You may go around to your children and have them hold their hands over the bowl as you pour some water over them (they should have already washed up with soap and water before coming to the table though ) and then dry their hands with the towel. Have them keep their hands above the table till you finish. After doing the children's hands you should sit down and your husband should do yours and then you his. And when everyone is finished he should raise his hands ( all can do this as well) and say:



Barouch atta Adonai, Elohaynoo mehlech ha-olam, ah-sher keed-sha-noo b'mitz-vo-tav v'tzee-va-no ahl n'tee-laht ya-da-yeem.



Blessed are you Oh L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us in your commandments and commanded us concerning the washing of hands.



This is called The Rachatz – the washing of hands.





Ok, Now, the Hamotzie is said. The blessing over the bread



Before hand, either on Thursday or Friday morning you will have made two loaves of Challah, or gotten them at any large supermarket. This is the special braided bread used only for Shabbat. Two loaves represent the double portion of manna that the L-rd provided in the wilderness. I bake my own but you may not have time but I really love doing it and if you have a bread maker it is a snap and so much better than store bought. Now these two loaves are put on a special cutting board ( you don't have to get one right away) and covered with a special napkin, or Challah cloth, ( I made my own, and if you sew you can as well), or they are easily attainable on the internet for a reasonable cost. When my husband is ready to say the Hamotzie I uncover the loaves ( and at this time , especially if you baked them , it is the time for your family to bless you by ohh and ahhing ) He will then lift up the bread board ( easier to hold the two loaves , especially since my are large ones) and then say this blessing:



Baruch atta Adonai, Elohenu melech H'olam, asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu lehafrish challah.



Blessed are you O L-rd our G-d who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to separate Challah.



That is the one we use but the traditional one is:



Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha-arets. Amen.

Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.



Lechem ( you should recognize this word – Beit Lehem – Bethlehem, where Yeshua was born, in the house of bread for he is truly our bread from heaven) so lechem means bread, and Hamotzi means brings forth, Min ha-aretzs, from the earth.



Now you will serve the rest of the meal. You may conclude with reading form the Torah portion from that week and discussing it. To find the Torah Portion go here -----------> http://www.aish.com/torahportion/ this will show you what the portion is and also has commentaries on that portion. There is a family parsha that is good for all to share. But please BE AWARE this is a Jewish site only and not Messianic so it doesn't include the portions that are relative from the Brit Chadasha, or NT. To get a list of those portions go here http://www.familybible.org/Parashot/01_Bresheet.htm

This will show you last weeks, the Torah portion and the Hatarah portion ( from the Prophets) as well as the Brit. Here is the index for others http://www.familybible.org/Parashot/index.htm

I hope this helps get you started, any questions please ask!

Shalom!

 

[SonWorshipper]

Here is the Challah recipe I promised..........

Challah Bread





This is for making ( mixing and rising first) in a bread maker, but also can be done by hand



For 1 pound loaf For 1 ½ pound loaf



1 ½ teas Active dry YEAST 2 ¼

1 teas POPPY SEEDS 1 ½

2 cups Bread FLOUR 3

1 teas SALT 1 ½

2 tbls HONEY 3

2 tbls BUTTER 3

2 EGGS 3

4 oz WATER 6



If using a bread machine, turn the selector to “Manual” this should take about 50 minutes to mix and knead.

If not prepare as you would regular bread except add each egg one at a time and mix well, knead for 10 minutes and let rest.



When dough is ready take from machine and pour out into a well oiled ( olive oil ) bowl, turning to coat all sides. Use knife ( well oiled also) to cut dough into three equal parts for one pound size or first cut 1/3 away and then divide that 1/3 into thirds and the remaining 2/3’s into thirds, this will give you enough to make a small braid and a larger one. Turn each piece over to be coated with the oil. Let rest for about 20 minutes, in the bowl, covered with a linen towel.



Take individual pieces of dough ( if doing a large and small braid do one then the other) and roll in your hands from the middle out, forming a “snake” turn and roll out the other side. Lay down on oiled cookie sheet pinching first the two other strands of the braid together and then add the middle one and press together. Start braiding making the beginning as tight as you can ( it tends to be loose at first) and braid till the tend pinching and turning under the ends. Cover with linen towel and but in warm place to rise 40 minutes. Do same with other dough balls and place on separate pan to rise. When time is up coat the tops of each with a beaten egg white with a tiny amount of water added, brush this all over the top and sides of bread, top with poppy seeds and bake 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped. Cool on cookie racks. Leftovers should be stored in refrigerator especially in warm weather.

Below is how it should look. I sometimes sprinkle poppy seeds or sesame seeds on top depending what I am making for dinner, or sometimes leave it plain with just the shinyness from the egg wash.

Dinner suggestions to start, fish ( not shellfish) or chicken. Remember it is a holiday and it is special and should be treated as such.

 

[SonWorshipper]

I'm ALWAYS in the dog house.

 

[Amandine]

That was an awesome post SonWorshipper. I never knew that Shabbat dinner would be so elaborate.
-Catherine