Synagogues mostly offer services on a Friday evening, Saturday morning and festivals. Many families enjoy welcoming Shabbat at home on a Friday evening and will make the effort to be at home in time to gather around the table for a festive meal, which includes ritual blessings over candles, a Kiddush cup of wine or grape juice and Challah, the specially platted bread. After the meal, some may choose to go to the synagogue. On a Saturday, there are more people who are able to attend services. The Torah: The Torah, also known as the five books of Moses, is the very beginning of the old testament. Jews follow the Old Testament, which together with the New Testament comprise the Bible, the holly book followed by Christians. So, the Torah and in fact the whole of the Old Testament are shared by Jews and Christians. Many stories from the Torah also figure in Islamic liturgy. The Torah is the most sacred book in Judaism and in the Synagogue one will find besides of printed Torah books, also the Torah Scroll. Torah books are printed and mass produced and in the UK can usually be found written in Hebrew, with English translation and additional commentary at the bottom of the page. Torah Scrolls are hand written on parchment, with a special quill and special ink, by Scribes, who are specially trained to do so. Torah Scrolls are always written in Hebrew. When reading from the Torah Scroll, a special pointer called Yad is used. From a practical point of view, this helps protect the scroll against wear and tear. From a spiritual point of view, using the pointer is a sign of respect to the sacred writings. Torah means teaching and in the Torah there are commandments and stories. These commandments and stories serve as a guide to the interaction between people, between each person and God and between people and nature. A parallelism can be drawn for school aged children between the commandments in the Torah and the Golden Rules or Code of Conduct found in schools. The school rules help children know what is expected of them, which behaviour is acceptable and which is not. The school rules can be extrapolated and serve as a guide for behaviour outside of school as well. By the same token, the commandments in the Torah are moral and ethical values, common sense that should be followed in daily life.
Synagogues mostly offer services on a Friday evening, Saturday morning and festivals. Many families enjoy welcoming Shabbat at home on a Friday evening and will make the effort to be at home in time to gather around the table for a festive meal, which includes ritual blessings over candles, a Kiddush cup of wine or grape juice and Challah, the specially platted bread. After the meal, some may choose to go to the synagogue. On a Saturday, there are more people who are able to attend services. The Torah: The Torah, also known as the five books of Moses, is the very beginning of the old testament. Jews follow the Old Testament, which together with the New Testament comprise the Bible, the holly book followed by Christians. So, the Torah and in fact the whole of the Old Testament are shared by Jews and Christians. Many stories from the Torah also figure in Islamic liturgy. The Torah is the most sacred book in Judaism and in the Synagogue one will find besides of printed Torah books, also the Torah Scroll. Torah books are printed and mass produced and in the UK can usually be found written in Hebrew, with English translation and additional commentary at the bottom of the page. Torah Scrolls are hand written on parchment, with a special quill and special ink, by Scribes, who are specially trained to do so. Torah Scrolls are always written in Hebrew. When reading from the Torah Scroll, a special pointer called Yad is used. From a practical point of view, this helps protect the scroll against wear and tear. From a spiritual point of view, using the pointer is a sign of respect to the sacred writings. Torah means teaching and in the Torah there are commandments and stories. These commandments and stories serve as a guide to the interaction between people, between each person and God and between people and nature. A parallelism can be drawn for school aged children between the commandments in the Torah and the Golden Rules or Code of Conduct found in schools. The school rules help children know what is expected of them, which behaviour is acceptable and which is not. The school rules can be extrapolated and serve as a guide for behaviour outside of school as well. By the same token, the commandments in the Torah are moral and ethical values, common sense that should be followed in daily life.