Religion
Good to Know
The terms appearing in our calendar carry a thousand-year-old tradition. Here is what they mean in practice:
🕯️ Candle Lighting
In Jewish tradition, a new day begins at dusk, not at midnight. Since kindling a fire is prohibited on Shabbat, Shabbat candles must be lit strictly at a specific time – usually 18 minutes before sunset on Friday. It is a boundary moment, bringing peace and separating workdays from the day of rest.
✨ Havdalah
This word means "separation" in Hebrew. It is a ceremony marking the end of Shabbat on Saturday evening (when three stars appear in the sky). Through blessings over wine, fragrant spices, and a braided candle, the holiness of Shabbat is symbolically separated from the upcoming, ordinary work week.
📖 Torah Reading (Parashah)
The Torah is divided into 54 portions (called parashot). Every week, synagogues around the world read and study the exact same, subsequent portion. Because of this, the entire global community is united in the rhythm of reading, completing the full cycle of Torah study within one year.