Welcome to the Forward‘s coverage of Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest.
Shabbat
The Latest
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Community How Two Small Flames Restored One Woman’s Secret Jewish Past
Shabbat, as well as many Jewish holidays, begins with the lighting of candles. The candles are traditionally lit in the home at least 18 minutes before sunset. The lighting marks the beginning of a day of rest and refreshment. It seems clear that this custom began at a time when our homes were not illuminated…
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Community Tel Aviv Councilman: Supreme Court Decision Makes Shabbat Accessible for All
The combination of these two words -– Shabbat and politics — has always stimulated toxic social turmoil in Israel. For decades, the so-called “status quo” about the nature of the seventh day in the public sphere has generated endless attempts to preserve some symbols of the biblical Shabbat in the modern era — in the…
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Community The Key To Healing Just Might Be A Freshly Baked Challah
The Shabbat after Passover is special to Jews around the the world, and even to foodies and bread connoisseurs —there is nothing like the smell of the dough rising and the taste of a warm piece of challah after almost two weeks of no leavened homemade bread. In recent years, the tradition of baking a…
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Fast Forward Tel Aviv Mini Markets Can Open On Shabbat
Secular Israel scored a point in the ongoing battle over religion in the public sphere on Wednesday when the Israeli High Court ruled that Tel Aviv mini markets could stay open on the Jewish Sabbath. Tel Aviv-Jaffa Mayor Ron Huldai hailed the ruling in the Israeli press, saying the city “was free and will remain…
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Breaking News Israeli Supreme Court Rules Some Tel Aviv Businesses Can Operate On Sabbath
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that some businesses and supermarkets may remain open on the Sabbath. The decision issued Wednesday dealt with the operation of businesses in entertainment complexes including the Tel Aviv and Jaffa harbors along with the old train station, as well as the opening of supermarkets in some parts of…
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Community Mitzvah-Lite: What We Miss When We Only Follow “Moral” Commandments
A version of this article originally appeared in the Texas Jewish Post. The man sitting across from me at the pizza shop was a religiously liberal individual for sure — but also very much a person who wore his Judaism on his sleeve and whose life was dedicated to promoting Jewish values as he understood…
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Fast Forward Bring On The Kosher Sabbath-Friendly Panic Alarm Button
Synagogues in Israel are getting a new tool that will let them handle a Sabbath emergency – a tablet that’s designed to call first responders on the day of rest, when many congregants do not carry phones. Developed by the software company Nedarim Plus, the tablet has only two features – to phone the police…
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News What Strange Salty Angels Are These?
Is that an angel on your shoulder or are you just unhappy to see me? I ask this of the “Prayer Police” — the folks who put the “nag” in “synagogue” — who reported Jared Kushner for mispronouncing a word and thus changing a sentence from malche ha-mlachim, “King of Kings,” to melach ha-malachim, “Salty…
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Fast Forward ‘Antisemitic hit-and-run squads’: Amsterdam temporarily bans demonstrations after Israeli soccer fans attacked by street mobs
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