Shabbat
(n) The Sabbath, the most important Jewish observance. We observe the Sabbath on Saturday. Like every other day on the Jewish calendar, the Sabbath begins the previous day at sundown. The women of the household light candles, a blessing is said with bread (challah) being broken, and a meal is enjoyed by all. As Shabbat is the day of rest, Jews are prohibited from engaging in a number of activities that are deemed to be “work” (such as lighting a fire, cooking, etc.). Like most aspects of Judaism, the laws followed vary from family to family. Of the Jews who observe this weekly ritual: some simply look upon Shabbat as a weekly opportunity to put all other commitments aside and eat as a family; the more devout abide by all Sabbath restrictions; and the majority exist somewhere between those two extremes. There is, of course, so much more to this topic, so to keep learning I encourage you to visit: http://www.jewfaq.org/shabbat.htm