At sundown on Friday, we light candles, drink grape juice and eat delicious challah. We may do these three things on other nights, but at this time, when Shabbat is about to start, we recite special words called a blessing for each of these actions. These blessings remind us to stop and take a moment to appreciate the special time that is Shabbat.
Two of our favorite Shaboom! characters, Grandpa Plony and Gabby, help teach us the Shabbat blessings in three short videos.
Notice how these blessings involve our senses. As we sing the words, we hear the music. We see the light of the candles, and perhaps feel their heat. Finally, as we taste and smell the grape juice and challah, we feel the cup and the bread.
First, we light the candles with a special blessing to mark the beginning of Shabbat.
Next we recite a blessing before drinking grape juice.
Then we recite another blessing before we eat the challah.