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Shabbat

Shabbat is the centerpiece of Jewish life. God has given the Jewish people a day of rest and spiritual reflection. This model’s God’s creation of the world in six days, while dedicating the 7th to rest.

The many customs & rituals of Shabbat include:

Welcoming Shabbos with Shabbat candlesticks
Blessing over wine (Kiddush) with Kiddush cups
Blessing over bread (Hamotzi) using Challah boards & covers
Closing Shabbat on Saturday evening with a Havdalah blessing (using a Havdalah set)

On Shabbat, we take a break from the daily physical work to spend time with our loved ones, enjoy a full day of complete bliss and spiritual reflection.

We don’t work, we don’t drive, we don’t cook (we use a Shabbat hot plate and a Shabbat hot water urn to keep our food & drinks & drinks warm).

It’s the one day our bodies get to rest and regenerate, without the “noise” of the outside world.

8 Best Shabbat Hot Water Urns & Dispensers for Shabbos (2020 Reviews)

December 1, 2020Last Updated: December 1, 2020 Rafael Hope 56 Comments

Jewish Home Shabbat

What’s your cup of tea?

Is it perhaps coffee?

Doesn’t matter… because on Shabbat, you can’t have either of them unless you have a Shabbat hot water urn.

But what am I saying… you already knew that. (otherwise, you wouldn’t be looking for the best Shabbat hot water dispenser, now would you?)

Well, since you’re here, let me help you find a hot water heater that’ll turn your dream of drinking a hot cup of coffee (or tea) on Shabbat into a reality!

20+ Beautiful Modern Challah Boards, Trays & Plates – Made in Israel (2020)

December 10, 2019Last Updated: December 10, 2019 Rafael Hope 1 Comment

Judaica Shabbat

The table is set…

The candles are lit…

Shabbat is officially in! Now, go grab a plate and enjoy a delicious Shabbat dinner with your family after a long week.

HOLD ON there tiger! Aren’t you forgetting something?

First, we do Kiddush and drink Kiddush wine.
Then, we do Hamotzi and eat a piece of Challah.
… And only then, we get to sink our teeth into the yummy Shabbos food!

Today, we’ll focus on the second part – the Challah… specifically, the Challah boards. Because you need to serve the Challah somehow, right?

But I’m not here to help you find just any Challah board (you don’t need my help for that)… Instead, I’ll help you find beautiful, modern Challah boards that you wouldn’t find in an average Jewish kitchen. Because who the hell wants to be average?

Let’s begin…

10 Best Sabbath Mode Refrigerators [Star-K] for Shabbos & Jewish Holidays (2020)

November 18, 2019Last Updated: November 19, 2019 Rafael Hope 15 Comments

Shabbat

Remember the days you had to manually turn off the refrigerator lights before Shabbat?

Ugh…

I remember I had to unscrew the lightbulb, cover the switch with scotch tape and find all sorts of creative (read: annoying) workarounds.

Well, not anymore!

Thankfully, some of the biggest refrigerator brands came to the rescue and created Sabbath mode refrigerators to make our lives much easier.

In fact – the only problem now is that there are too many Sabbath mode fridges to choose from.

Everyone is throwing buzzwords, deals, coupons our way – all in the attempt to catch our attention.

Where do we even begin?
How do we know which refrigerators are truly Kosher?
What does Sabbath mode and Star-K even mean?

I spent 3 days writing this monster guide – to help you find the answers to all those questions and to help you find a brand new Sabbath mode refrigerator that’ll serve you well for MANY years to come.

Let’s begin…

20+ Modern Havdalah Sets & Jewish Spice Boxes from Israel (2020)

September 17, 2019Last Updated: November 16, 2019 Rafael Hope Leave a Comment

Judaica Shabbat

Shabbat is nearly over…

But before we say goodbye, we get one final opportunity to pay our respect to the Sabbath.

How?

The Havdalah ceremony – where we thank God for distinguishing between the sacred, and the ordinary (that’s the actual Havdalah blessing, by the way).

Now, you could simply light a Havdalah candle, quickly recite the blessing and “get it over with”. Or, you could take your time, invest in a proper Havdalah set you can continue using every single week, and transition to the new week peacefully.

What is a Havdalah Set?

A Havdalah set is a special kit that includes the items needed to perform the Havdalah ceremony. Havdalah sets typically come with a spice box, Havdalah candle holder and Kiddush cup.

If the second option sounds better, then sit tight – because I’m about to show the most beautiful Havdalah sets you have ever seen…

30+ Modern Kiddush Cups, Sets & Wine Fountains for Shabbat (2020)

September 14, 2019Last Updated: November 16, 2019 Rafael Hope Leave a Comment

Judaica Shabbat

… You’re cooking Shabbat dinner…
… Mmmm… the delicious aroma fills the entire house…
… You’re lighting the Shabbat candles; Shabbat is now officially in!

Time to enjoy your Shabbat dinner together with the family… can you pass the Hummus, please?

HOLD IT! Aren’t you forgetting something?

Kiddush comes first, silly! Go ahead and pour the wine into the Kiddush cup (make sure you fill the cup to the end)!

What’s that? You don’t have a Kiddush cup? What a coincidence! I just happened to create a huge list of beautiful, modern Kiddush cups!

OK, OK, enough with the silly jokes :). Let’s go find you a lovely Jewish wine cup, shall we?

10 Best Shabbat Hot Plates, Warming Trays & Blech for Shabbos [Reviews] (2020)

June 28, 2019Last Updated: September 18, 2019 Rafael Hope 15 Comments

Jewish Home Shabbat

You’re preparing food for Shabbat…

Mmmm! It looks (and smells) yummy!

Too bad it’ll get cold by the time you sit down for your Shabbos or Yom Tov meal… Oy vey!

Unless…

Unless you get a Shabbat hot plate (or blech) that’ll keep your food warm, fresh and delicious for the entire Shabbat!

The Shabbat Plata (as they call it in Hebrew) is one of the most, if not THE most important items in a Jewish kitchen.

It’s not a question of if we should have one, it’s a question of which one…

And that’s exactly what I’m going to help you answer today:

Which Kosher hot plate should you get for Shabbos?

Let’s find out, shall we?

16 Modern & Personalized Challah Covers [Bread Covers] for Shabbat (2020)

December 12, 2018Last Updated: November 16, 2019 Rafael Hope 2 Comments

Shabbat

Everything is ready for Kiddush.

The wine is poured…

The Challah is ready for Hamotzi…

But wait a sec!

What about the Challah cover? You almost forgot, didn’t you?

Just kidding… if you’re reading this, you probably haven’t forgotten…

Since you’re looking for some covers for your hot & delicious Challah, what do you say we take a look at a few modern Jewish bread covers that will make your Shabbat table look amazing?

30+ Unique Shabbat Candlesticks: Jewish Candle Holders from Israel (2020)

January 24, 2018Last Updated: November 16, 2019 Rebecca Cohen 2 Comments

Gift Guides Jewish Home Judaica Shabbat

Ahh…

That feeling of a long week coming to an end…

That warm & relaxed feeling, knowing that Shabbat is around the corner…

Don’t you love it?

The table is set, the boys are ready for shul (synagogue) – it’s time to light the Shabbat candles!

Jews light the Shabbat candles using Shabbat candlesticks: the famous Jewish candle holders we light to symbolize the beginning of the Shabbat – the day we finally get to rest after a long, hard week.

In this article, I’m going to help you find a pair of unique Jewish candlesticks that bring a smile to your face every time you light them…