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Kosher wine and Jewish traditions do not sound too familiar but it has a deep relationship with the Jews.

After the circumcision Kosher wine is presented by the Mohel (the circumciser) to the boy that has born, this is done to reduce the pain of the boy. The Jewish child drinks his mother’s milk and wine at his birth. As soon as this happens many pick up the goblet of wine and drink it all the way to the last drops. This is done to celebrate their success and it was the beginning of the Jewish wine festival.

Another famous Jewish festival or holiday involves the drinking of wine and here you must drink at least four glasses of wine to begin your holiday.

Jews have a special place for wine in their heart and it is said that the Jews place a large goblet of wine filled to the top but no one is allowed to drink from it.

Jewish obsession of wine was not liked by many and the Anti Semitic Libel claim that the Jews used to kidnap Christian children and prepared the unleavened bread for their Passover. These unleavened breads were prepared by the Jews using the blood of the Christian children. Since this event had occurred the Jews did not drink red wine at their Passover.

But the issue was not suppressed there and it went to such an extent where the Jews had to save their community from the threat of the libels. So the Jews created a Frankenstein which was otherwise known as the golem of plague.
The wine drinking does not end here and it is also used in the most memorable day of two person who fall in love and decide to unit themselves for lifetime and eternity, yes I am talking about the marriage. How can the Jews forget to celebrate such an auspicious occasion without wine?

To begin the ceremony Jews drink wine they then continue to drink a lot of wine till the end of the day and to end the ceremony the Jews break the wine glass. Jews always thought the kosher wines were the undrinkable ones or the inferior ones.

Some of them still remember the taste of the thick and sweet wine which they used to drink at the Passover and other Jewish holidays. But it was the Kosher wine that they used to drink.

But people have changed now and their way of thinking. Now Israeli wines are produced by the big names such as Teperberg, Yarden wines, Carmel wines, etc. There are people whose comment on the wines does seems to matter a lot.

Robert Parke and Mark Squires are the two wine expert whose remark about wine do matter if they find the wine to be good then the public goes out to buy it and if they say the wine isn’t good then the public doesn’t even cares about that wine.

Yatir was the brand name of wine that was all sold out overnight. The best recommended red wine is the Kosher Israeli wine of the year 2003. But people also like the bitter wine typically showing the time have changed. There are more than 50 wineries which produce Israeli wine but only the finest give the best pleasure.

Adam Florence is writes for various topics and enjoys buying Sukkahs,
Etrogs for Sukkot
at http://www.esrogheadquarters.com.
For simchas: http://www.bestkippah.com
for kippot & kippahs

Hanukkah otherwise known as the festival of lights is the most celebrated Jewish holiday. This holiday is celebrated in the month of December and probably a week before Christmas.

The most important reason why this festival is celebrated is to honour the memory of their victory over the Greeks about 2150 years ago and it was more than anything spiritually satisfying.

The reason for this victory to be not only physically satisfying but spiritually also was a long series of torture by the Greeks. Alexander the great conquered Jerusalem and he had great control over it, but it all started after his death when the rule for the empire went into the hands of cruel Greeks.

Greeks were merciless over the Jews; they wanted Jews to worship their god (Zeus) and so started to force the issue. Slowly they made the Jews to wear Greek dresses and follow their customs, if they wanted to be a part of the political practitioners.

The Greeks changed the temple known as the ‘national house of worship’ to a Greek temple where Greek god Zeus were worshiped. This was spiritually very disturbing for the Jews and the revolt began.

A Jewish priest Mattathias disagreed to worship the Greek god and was ready to face the consequences. This was appreciated by many Jews and many joined his revolt. Judah Macabee the son of Mattathias formed a small group of soldiers to conquer the temple. Eventually the Jews succeeded in throwing the Greeks out of their city and conquered the temple (’national house of worship’).

For long it has been said that a miracle had taken place in the ceremony of rededication. So the name Hanukkah was kept which means to rededicate in Hebrew. The Greeks had messed up the place and the Jews had to repair the temple and make it look as it was before.

The eternal flame on the Menorah was extinguish and to relight it they required sacred olive oil, but they had oil that would be enough only for one day. To remake the oil it would take another 8 days. But the oil that was supposed to last only one day lasted for amazing eight days, this took everyone by surprise and this was the miracle that spiritually binds the Jews to the festival of lights or Hanukkah.

In Hanukkah the people began the festival as they enlighten the Menorah. Menorah is used as candlelabra; it contains 9 candles and one which is placed at a better height than the others. All the eight candles are lit from left to right and the 9 candle known as known as the Shamash is lit at last.

The eight candles are meant for eight days. People pray for goodness and blessing from their god and for the best. After that they sing to their god and exchange gifts for each of the eight nights and enjoy themselves by playing games. The most famous game is played with the help of dreidel; it has four sides and is similar to spinning top.

Favorite food is made and served with fried items; Jews cook latkes which is a dish with fried potato. It is one of the happiest moments to be there. Many people mistake this to be a Jewish Christmas where there are blue and white colors flying.

This festival brings great respect for the religion of Jews where they were able to defeat the Greeks and get their honor back but it wasn’t only appreciated by their fellow men but also by their god. It is always said god helps you only if you are wiling to help yourself.

Adam Florence is writes for various topics and enjoys buying Sukkahs,
Etrogs for Sukkot
at http://www.esrogheadquarters.com.
For simchas: http://www.bestkippah.com
for kippot & kippahs

As with many cultures traditional Jewish people have their own mode of dress. In different parts of the world different clothing is suitable for different groups. The head coverings are one of those types of clothing.

Talk of anything Judaica or Jewish and two extreme pictures come to mind. The Nazi extermination camps during WW-II where wearing a star and a number by the Jews from across Europe marked them for impending torture and death.

Talk of Jews today and one conjures up the image of Israel, a fearlessly proud nation with determined people. Today, it”s not the forced shabby clothes with a stitched star that identifies a Jew, but other than a devout Rabbi, even the well-dressed Jew in a suit will probably be sporting a kippah.

Talk of “kippah” or a “yarmulke” and we are talking about the same in Hebrew and in Yiddish. In other words, it is the traditional “skullcap” or the head-gear worn by the Jews. The odd name can be attributed to the fact that it covers just the top portion of the skull, or the crown of the head, and not the entire head.

Extreme orthodox Judaica or the Jewish people would not walk even four paces or be seen without a skullcap/kippah at all times, as keeping it on is a reminder that one is with God at all times.

In fact, one cannot enter the synagogue without wearing a skull-cap or kippah, and a rabbi will always have one handy for that odd person who has forgotten to carry one. The Judaica or Jewish skullcap / kippah are usually worn by the males, and the females are required to cover their heads with scarves.

The custom may have originated in the middle-east where Moslems were attired in some form of head-gear, ranging from turbans to skullcaps. Ironically, the Judaica/Jewish/Hebrew holy book “Torah”, or the “Mishnah”, do not have any reference or mention of any head gear to be worn by Hebrews or Jews. There are different words that connote the same meaning: Kippot, Yamaka, Kippah, Kippa.

Whenever a word is changed from it”s original language to another language these differences come into play. Today, a Judaica / Jewish skullcap / kippah are available in many patterns, designs and colors, though the sedate Jews would prefer to wear a simple head-gear. And the skullcap /kippah in colors pure black or pure white are normally reserved to be worn only on certain occasions, be they sad or glad tidings.

Adam Florence is writes for various topics and enjoys buying Sukkahs,
Etrogs for Sukkot
at http://www.esrogheadquarters.com.
For simchas: http://www.bestkippah.com
for kippot & kippahs

When the holiday season or the “Sukkot” arrives, the permanent construction takes a back seat and most people of the Jewish faith are literally required to construct and to move into for stay in a “Sukkah”.

This is not out of any urge to rough it out or to live outdoors, but is in line with the terms stated in the Torah, calling for all persons of the Jewish faith to spend the Sukkot holidays in a temporary hut whose “minimum” size is literally to accommodate an adult in a sitting posture.

And the walls of this temporary construction are also not defined. One can have proper four walls with a door in one. Or just two walls with an “imagined” third having just three plus inches from the floor with a “symbolic door”.

The decorated Sukkot (pronounced as Sue-Coat) huts symbolize the hardship of God, be it the struggle to house the people in temporary shelters while taking them out from Egypt, or the clouds that shielded the people during their forty-year hard trek through the desert of Sinai.

For either reason, the objective of residing in a Sukkot is to understand the hardship, and each generation is required to undergo this “holiday” as a reminder of the huge struggle of their forefathers, and they in turn to pass it on to the generation next.

Today however, the Sukkot or even the temporary huts are not meant to undergo any form of “suffering”, and only to serve as a reminder as well as to enjoy the holiday. Though the minimum size is specified, the option to decorate the hut is entirely with the individuals. And there is no restriction on the maximum size, for as in the past, it is meant to accommodate and provide shade to as many as possible.

Even the walls do not have any mandatory material restriction or suggestion and one is free to use their own imagination. The only condition being that a strong gust of wind must not bring down the Sukkot in any Sukkah.

The Sukkot is also known as the “Feast of Tabernacles”. Having “suffered” so much right from Biblical times, the Israelis as referred originally and as a reference given to the Jewish people residents of Israel, do make it a point to preserve most of their hard learning by example.

The Sukkot is just one small example of the means of spending a “holiday”, and passing a real message down the generation by literally “living” it.

Adam Florence is writes for various topics and enjoys buying Sukkahs,
Etrogs for Sukkot
at http://www.esrogheadquarters.com.
For simchas: http://www.bestkippah.com
for kippot & kippahs

The Judaica or Jewish kippah or skullcap marks out a person following the Hebrew faith. It is so traditional and so common, that a firm believer, and we are not talking of a Rabbi or priest, but even a citizen sporting a tea-shirt and jeans, can be seen sporting a Judaica / Jewish skullcap or kippah.

However, there is not extreme insistence on the wear, though certain places and occasions demand not being seen without a skullcap or kippah. Today, most would wear one compulsorily at a religious function, during any blessing or prayer, and especially within the confines of the Synagogue for attending a prayer service.

The Jewish skullcap or kippah are also required to be worn for saying the grace or the prayer before and after a meal.

The Kippah represent that G-d is always above and around the individual. A person shouldn’t feel that he is alone in this world but that He is always with him. Though the holy Hebrew book ‘Torah’ does not mention anywhere of any head-gear required to be worn by any person of the Judaica / Jewish faith, the custom of wearing a skullcap or kippah originated long ago and is followed till date.

It distinctly marks a person of the Judaica or Jewish faith, though there are many who follow the faith but not the tradition of wearing the skullcap at all times.

Since there is no mention in the holy book that a follower of Judaica or a Jewish person is required to wear any head gear or even specifically the skullcap or kippah, there is naturally no scope on its specifications.

In Rabbinical writings they do mention the size and placement of the yarmulke (another name for the kippah). Today, the skullcap is can be obtained in very diverse materials with differing designs and colours. However, it is ensured that the design and size is specific to covering just the crown of the head.

On occasions, when family and friends gather for a wedding, a ‘bar mitzvah’, a ‘brit mila’,’shabbath’, or even a special prayer service, a typical Judaica or Jewish person can be seen sporting a skullcap or kippah in line with the clothes worn for the occasion.

When people buy kippahs, or kippot, for a ’simcha’ (a happy religious celebration, such as a bar or bat mitzvah and wedding) they usually customize them with the name of individuals celebrating.

Kippahs come in satin, leather, suede and other materials. There is no preference but different groups use different types.

Adam Florence is writes for various topics and enjoys buying Sukkahs,
Etrogs for Sukkot
at http://www.esrogheadquarters.com.
For simchas: http://www.bestkippah.com
for kippot & kippahs

The Jewish Sukkot festival commences on the fifth day after “Yom Kippur” and lasts for seven days. The word Sukkot literally means “booths”, which is in direct reference to the temporary dwelling construction for a seven day live-in within that holiday period. This is not in anyway repentance or any atonement, though it does symbolize the agony of the past when Jews in order to flee persecution had to undergo a long march through Mount Sinai, while living in tents to almost forty years.

The holiday period is also referred to as the “Feast of the Tabernacles”, or the season of “Rejoicing”. The fruit of the citrus tree whether it is a lemon or orange fruit, plays a crucial role as the “fruit of the goodly tree”. The citron, or the Esrog, is a citrus fruit belonging to the same family of an orange or a lemon and has a mention in the holy book as among the four species of plants bearing the fruit of a “noble tree”. This conjunction is significant to the Sukkot with the citron, or the Esrog.

The Esrog fruit is practically six inches long and oblong in shape, just like a big lemon. History has it that the Citron fruit or Esrog plant, in all practicality, was originally brought from Babylonia from where the Jews fled from captivity. In a way, the Esrog or Citron, symbolizes “freedom from oppression”. During the festival period of Sukkot, which actually is a very joyous holiday and not entirely too solemn, there is one important “symbolic” gesture. Each day of the seven day Succos, a member of every Jewish family is required to wave in each direction, as well as above and below, the Esrog or citron plant that symbolizes that “peace” prevails all around them. For a “tribe” that faced persecution from biblical times, the word “peace” has a different dimension, and the Sukkot along with Esrog serves as a good reminder for generations to come.

There are many variations to the spelling of “Sukkot”. Sukkos, Succos, is the spelling in Hebrew transliterated. “Sukkot” is the official English spelling of the holiday. Often when Hebrew words are changed to English the “S” changes to a “T”, thus the change.

“Esrog” also has that conversion. In Hebrew it is transliterated to “Esrog” but when the word is converted to English it is spelled, and pronounced, “Etrog.”

Adam Florence is writes for various topics and enjoys buying Sukkahs,
Etrogs for Sukkot
at http://www.esrogheadquarters.com.
For simchas he used http://www.bestkippah.com
for kippot.

Bais Yosef, a 15th century scholar, teaches that someone who missed afternoon prayer on the Sabbath must recite the appropriate evening services, as well as an extra prayer to make up for the prayer that was missed. On a typical Saturday night, a separation prayer must be included, in order to emphasize a separation between the sanctity of Sabbath, and the rest of the week. In the first prayer, which is the proper evening service, not the one being made up, the separation prayer is to be recited. However, the prayer intended to show the separation between the sanctity of Sabbath and the rest of the week is not recited in the extra prayer. This is based on a discussion in the Talmud, Tractate Berachos 26b.

If he erroneously recited separation prayer in the second one, and not the first, he must repeat the first prayer. This is because the extra prayer that is recited must come second. The standard evening prayer must come first. By reciting the separation in the second prayer, he is showing his intention for the second to be the regular evening service, and the first to be the extra one.

There is a difference of opinion what to do in the following scenario. Someone intended the first prayer to be the standard evening prayer. He also intended the second to be the extra prayer. However he made the mistake of reciting the separation prayer in the second one, and ommitted it from the first one.

The question is, do we follow his intentions that were obviously proper, since he intended the extra prayer to come second, and it did. Or do we follow the actual prayer that indicates the first one was the extra one, as the separation prayer was omitted, and the second prayer is the evening service, because the separation prayer was recited.

Magen Avrohom and Derech Hachaim, two 17th century Talmudic scholars rule that it is not necessary to repeat the prayer, as we look at his intentions. Since his intentions were correct, we do not require him to repeat the prayer. The Taz and Eliya Raba require him to repeat the first prayer. This is because the omission of Havdalah, which is the name for the separation prayer indicates that it is the extra one. Since we view the first pray as th extra one, it must be repeated after the conclusion of the second prayer. Chofetz Chain rules like the Mogen Avrohom, and does not require the prayer to be repeated.

Billy Kite is a researcher writing on behalf of Halacha Yomi. Halacha Yomi is the place for lively daily halacha - halachic discussions Women and Prayer and much more.