Essay On Shabbat

Shabbat is a religious holiday of the Jewish faith. There are similarities between the ideas behind this and other culture’s day of rest, although Shabbat differs somewhat in its customs and spirit. Right when the Shabbat starts as the sun begins to set on Friday the mother of the family lights the candles and says a prayer welcoming the Shabbat. It is customary in many homes to light a candle for each child although this is not a practice carried out entirely across the board. After the candles are lit the men go to synagogue to say the night prayers which vary depending on the day of the week. The women, who generally do not say these prayers, do so on the first night of Shabbat. They usually sing these Shabbat night prayers in whatever tune they were taught since childhood.
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This is clear as she was a stranger coming into a family, area, and religion that she did not have a lot of experience with. In my research I was writing from personal, current, and past experiences. I grew up in the Jewish religion and have seen a wide spectrum of how things change when going from sect to sect of Judaism. I have seen all of these things as a true insider unlike Lila Abu-Lughod who started off as an outsider. There is obviously a significant difference as I can never truly see Shabbat from the vantage point of an outsider as I have never experienced say a normal American Saturday. Even though my views on this subject have largely shifted from what I was taught growing up, I am still experiencing Shabbat whilst being viewed as a member regardless of whether that is a correct status. Lila Abu-Lughod’s status in the society she studied was both beneficial and somewhat of a roadblock. This can be said no matter where an anthropologist is coming from as both sides have pros and cons that can give a vastly different