Getting to Know

A yarmulke or kippah is usually made of cloth, and is worn by Jewish men to fulfil the customary requirement held by some Jewish orthodox authorities that the head be covered at all times. Less-observant Jews wear the yarmulke only at times of prayer

Passover, or Pesach, commemorates the liberation of the ancient Hebrews from slavery in Egypt over 3,300 years ago. It also celebrates their freedom under the leadership of Moses who lead them to Israel. It is referred to in full in Exodus, one of the Five Book of Moses. During the 8 days of the festival, the eating of certain foodstuffs is forbidden (such as bread raised with yeast) to signify the rush with which the Jewish people had to leave, not leaving enough time to prepare and take some traditional foods. The English saying 'manna from heaven' came about as a reference to the way those without food were initially fed during the Jewish Exodus, that is, by manna from heaven

The Day of Atonement or in Hebrew, Yom Kippur, is the holiest day of the year for Jewish people. The main and central themes are atonement and repentance. Jewish people traditionally observe this 25-hour day with a period of fasting (total abstinence - no food or drink of any description) and intensive prayer, with many spending most of the day at prayer in the synagogue

Kosher foods are those that conform to the regulations of kashrut (Jewish dietary law). Non-kosher foods include those with ingredients derived from non-kosher animals (e.g. non cloven-hooved animals that don’t chew the cud, fishes without fins and scales) or from kosher animals that were not slaughtered in a ritually proper manner; a mixture of meat and milk, wine and grape juice (or their derivatives) produced without supervision, or the use of non-kosher cooking utensils and machinery

This is called a chuppah and represents the home that the couple will set up together after the ceremony. While a wedding is still valid without a chuppah, it would be most unusual for one not to be used. Ideally, there should be open sky above the chuppah, but in practical terms, this is not possible in countries such as the UK where weather can be unpredictable!

Hasidim are traditionally very orthodox followers of the Jewish faith who assiduously learn and follow the teachings of the Torah, or the Five Books of Moses. They dress the way they do out of modesty and their respect to God

This marks the start of the Jewish day of rest and the eve of the seventh day of the week. On this day, which commences at sundown on Friday, religious Jews remember the Biblical creation of the heavens and the earth in the previous six days and the Exodus of the Hebrews. Observance means it is a day of rest where no work activities, or anything created by the use of energy - for example driving the car, using a computer, cooking a meal from the start - should be undertaken

The equivalent Jewish year in 2013 was 5774 and is based on a 'lunisolar' calendar that is predominantly used today for Jewish religious observances. Because it cycles over a repeating, complex, lunar-based 19-year cycle, an extra 'intercalary' month is added every two to three years to bring it into line with natural agriculture-related

The words mazel/mazal ('luck' or 'fortune') and tov ('good') are Hebrew in origin and were recorded as entering into English from Yiddish in 1862. It is very similar in meaning to 'congratulations'

It is based on the teachings and laws of the Five Books of Moses, also known as the Pentateuch. This is the first part of the Hebrew Bible and the five books are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. This part of the bible is also referred to as the 'Torah', and in Christianity, it is the entire first part of the Old Testament