The last ritual before the Shabbat meal - hand washing and ha motzi. This is one of my most favorite times - in our house, we niggun (sing without words) while we are waiting for everyone to wash and then to taste the delicious, homemade challah.

Shabbat - Hand Washing & Blessing Bread
Right before we enjoy the Shabbat meal, we engage in a ritual hand washing and the blessing over the bread.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art65793.asp

Let's continue to talk about Shabbat traditions. Stop by the forum:

http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=158

Thanks for reading.

B' Shalom,

Lisa Pinkus, Judaism Editor
http://Judaism.bellaonline.com

One of hundreds of sites at BellaOnline.com