Shabbat and the festival year
One day in seven, work stops. Shabbat is the clearest example in any tradition of a belief made into a habit of time.
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Explain how festivals, worship and rites of passage express belief
Key learning points
- • Shabbat
- • The festival year
- • Rites of passage
This lesson at a glance
- 25 minutes
- 19 parts to scroll through
- 4 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 19
Visual introductionPicture this
Shabbat and the festival year
One day in seven, work stops. Shabbat is the clearest example in any tradition of a belief made into a habit of time.
In a nutshell
Explain how festivals, worship and rites of passage express belief
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 19
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · Shabbat
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 19
Learn
Shabbat
From sunset on Friday to nightfall on Saturday, observant Jewish families rest, eat prepared meals, attend synagogue and refrain from work as defined in Jewish law. Candles, blessings over wine and bread, and a shared meal open the day.
Reset break
Part 4 of 19
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Explore the idea
Part 5 of 19
Learn
The festival year
Rosh Hashanah begins the new year and Yom Kippur is a day of fasting and repentance. Pesach retells the exodus from Egypt through a structured meal, the seder. Sukkot recalls shelter in the wilderness; Hanukkah remembers the rededication of the Temple.
Quick check
Part 6 of 19
Quick check
Part 7 of 19
Reset break
Part 8 of 19
Pause
That's sitting 2 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Learning cycle
Part 9 of 19
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · Rites of passage
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 10 of 19
Learn
Rites of passage
Bar and bat mitzvah mark the age at which a young person takes responsibility for the commandments, usually by reading from the Torah publicly. The ritual is about responsibility rather than a party, though most families hold both.
Quick check
Part 11 of 19
Reset break
Part 12 of 19
Pause
That's sitting 3 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Quick check
Part 13 of 19
Explore the idea
Part 14 of 19
Worked example
Worked example: linking a ritual to a belief
Question: what belief does the Pesach seder express? Answer: it expresses the covenant and memory. Foods on the plate stand for slavery and freedom, and the youngest present asks why this night is different — teaching the story to the next generation is built into the ritual itself.
Challenge round
Part 15 of 19
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Reset break
Part 16 of 19
Pause
That's sitting 4 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Challenge round
Part 17 of 19
Game · Recall cards
When does Shabbat begin?
Card 1 of 4
Mastery quiz
Part 18 of 19
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Shabbat and the festival year
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. When does Shabbat begin?
2. What does the seder retell?
3. What does bar or bat mitzvah mark?
4. Which day is a fast of repentance?
Lesson round-up
Part 19 of 19
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
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Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?
Ask LunaPart 1 of 19 · Watch & discover