Artefacts

Men are commanded to pray three times a day. Every weekday (that is, except for the Sabbath morning), for morning prayers, men are required to put on the tephillin, the tallit and a head-covering, the kippah. At thirteen years of age, boys become adult. Their Bar Mitvah ceremony introduces them to the adult male community of Judaism and brings them into the religious responsibilities - including prayer - of Judaism.

The tephillin are black boxes, one worn on the forehead and the other on the left arm. They are bound on by black, leather straps. Inside the Torah, written on small pieces of parchment, are verses from the Torah, including the Shema - "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One."

The Tallit is the prayer shawl, which is also worn in the synagogue on sabbath days. It has "bands of blue" at each end and has no seams at the edges. The fringes and the tassels at each corner remind the wearer of the 613 commandments that God has given in the Torah.

The Kippah is the head-covering worn by Jewish men when they pray, read from the Torah or when they are in the synagogue. Many Orthodox jewish men wear it all the time, because one might need to pray at any time.

We have these artefacts in the R.E. Department, including this Bar Mitzvah kippah.

The Mezuzah Another item in our collection is a mezuzah (literally meaning a "doorpost"). The mezuzah is nailed to the right hand doorpost at the entrance to a Jewish home. It is positioned at a slight angle and is touched respectfully as people enter and leave the house. Inside are prayers from the Torah. It is a constant reminder that the home is one where God is worshipped and His commandments observed.

We also have a mini-Torah scroll, a Yad - the silver pointer used when reading the scrolls, a Passover Seder plate and a selection of Bar and Bat Mitzvah cards. For Havdalah (the end of Sabbath ceremony) we have a spice box, plaited candle and holder. Finally we do have a selection of candles for use at Chanukah, as well as dreidels for the special Chanukah game.