Just before the start of Shabbat, the wife or mother, lights the two Shabbat candles. As she lights them, she says a prayer.

Then the father blesses the children. After this he says a blessing over a cup of wine, thanking God for Shabbat.

After he has a drink of wine, he blesses two loaves of special Shabbat bread. He cuts the bread into slices, sprinkles them with salt and passes them round.

The meal now begins. During the meal, the family sings hymns and tells stories from the Torah. Shabbat is a joyful time for Jewish people.