David Jaradeh
Dr.Hall
October 28,2018
English essay
Friday and Saturday (shabbat) in the Jewish religion are considered the holy days of the week. On Friday night at sundown we go to shul (synagogue) and pray. The men in the shul are wearing suits and the women would wear modest clothes such as dresses and skirts that cover up their knees and elbows in terms for modesty. During the holy shabbat in the synagogue the men and women sit separately from each other. For example: the men would be on the ground level of the synagogue, and the women would be sitting on the balcony on top praying to gd for returning our souls back to our bodies and being able to live another day just like the day before.
When we pray there would be a rabbi sitting in front of the whole shul and there would also be a hazan of the shul which would sing the prayers in the center of the shul and everybody would follow his lead meanwhile praying. Us men go to the synagogue every Friday night before eating dinner with our families and also go on Saturday mornings and come back Saturday afternoon to pray. During shabbat we do not drive, use our cellular devices, work out, work, and do not do anything that requires work. This holy weekend is a day of rest for us Jews that we cannot do anything but enjoy that god gave us this day to rest up and take advantage of it. When women show up on Saturday mornings there view from the balcony looking down their point eye would be a sea of heads with men wearing yamakas. Yamakas is what a man wears on his everyday life and especially to shul which represents that god is above you.
After sundown prayers are over, people go home for their shabbat meal. As they leave shul to go home, we say to each other the words “shabbat shalom”. Shalom means peace used as a greeting and farewell. My family uses the word shalom as a greeting because it is common. Nowadays people use it greeting for a father, mother, sister, brother, cousins, friends, and strangers just to say hello. The word shalom also means peace and the word is originated during biblical times.
“Shalom” is taken from the depth meaning called shalom, which means: “to be safe in mind, body or estate,” or even “peace upon you”. It shows us Jews to encourage a person to give back, that you should always have a peace in the mind, to never ever be stressed, in the body and to have a good calm estate. “ peace upon you” states that you should never have conflict with anybody or anyone in any nation and just always have peace within yourself and always be calm.
Our land Israel is located in the middle east, that is surrounded by all Arab countries. We us to be in war with Jordan, Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon. But we finally made shalom(peace) with these countries and have no more battles against each other. We have a bible called the Torah. The Talmud explains, “The entire Torah is for the sake of the ways of shalom” which states: that our bible is for the sake of the good and just to make peace in every way and every day and not have conflict with anyone or anything. My background is Syrian my parents speak Arabic and write it as well. The word Salaam means Hello and Peace at the same time. We use it very often as a greeting to other Syrians/ Arabs. The word also means “A very low bow or obeisance, especially with the palm of the right hand placed on the forehead”.
The irony is that there is no “peace” between the Jews and the Arabs. Now a day in the Middle East, Arabs fight and kill Jews in Israel for the land. There is anti-Semitism and terror attacks happening on the daily. The world in the Middle East should not look like this. Everyone should get along and make Peace in the Middle East.
Shalom in my community and to the Jews is a very powerful and strong word in our daily lives. We use it for hello and for protection. The Hebrew word for peace, shalom (שׁלום) is the key and we will always follow it for as long as this generation continues it will always be passed down.
SOURCES
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