Kiddush

Commemoration and Memory.

Marking the seventh day as a weekly day of rest is unique to the Jewish people. We learn from the bible 'Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy", which means to remember the Shabbat and mark it as a special day.

How do we Remember? Every year we commemorate the memory of the Jews who perished during the holocaust and the fallen IDF soldiers. This commemoration has two goals. The first, identifying with the survivors and families, living with their pain throughout the years. The memorials and stories of what happened create a togetherness and brotherhood which in a way eases the painful grief.
The second, delivering and emphasizing important messages- to ourselves and to the whole world- a message of insistence, a message of 'never again' and a message that the sacrifice was not in vain.
The memory and commemoration are expressed by a minute of silence, during which a siren is sounded. At that minute every person concentrates on their memories, stories and sad songs of bravery and courage, which praise those who should be remembered and seen as role models.
Similarly, there are two goals to observing the Shabbat and marking it as a unique and special day.
The first, remembering the historic past of the Jewish people, freed from Egypt after dozens of years of hard slavery. The Torah explains the decree to let the slaves, as well as the slave lord's family, rest on Shabbat "because you were a slave in Egypt". After you yourself tasted the bitter taste of slavery in Egypt and the sweet taste of freedom, you cannot be cruel to your slaves and not allow them to rest.
The second, to announce and reinforce, inwardly and outwardly, the monotheistic belief in the creation of the world by God. As opposed to beliefs according to which the world was not created and has no special meaning, the Jewish belief is that the world was created out of nothing during six days, and on the seventh day the world was found to be complete, with no need for further creation and since then, God manages the world and supervises it.
These two purposes of Shabbat we commemorate, define and internalize by saying the Kiddush on a glass of wine.

Who Should Say the Kiddush?

The Halacha defines as Bar/Bat Mitzvah ('capable of mitzvah') every boy from the age of 13, and every girl from the age of 12. At this age, along with the physical maturity, the children acquire the ability to understand and absorb ideas and concepts. This is why it is only when they reach this age that they have to say the Kiddush.
It is advisable to educate boys and girls under this age to hear the Kisddush, although they are not obliged to, so they can grasp the messages of Shabbat.

When is the Kiddush said?

Three festive meals are eaten during the Shabbat, in its honor; one during Friday night- Shabbat evening- and two during Saturday. These meals are called "Seudot" (feasts).
The Kiddush is said right before the evening and morning meals, so that right after speaking about the essence of Shabbat and its messages, the joy of Shabbat is felt. The Sages learn this from the verse in the book of Isaiah: "and call the Sabbath a delight". That is, you should eat and enjoy yourself at the place where you "call" Shabbat and declare it.
If you do not wish to eat a full meal after the Kiddush, you can have cake instead.

What is the Kiddush said on?

Wine is an important component of any festive event or party. During a Bar Mitzvah, wedding or even just a party, it is customary to make a toast and wish "leChaim" (to life!) over a glass of wine. The reason for this is the positive qualities of wine which stimulates, causes joy and brings people together.
For this reason the Sages decreed that the Kiddush should be recited over a glass of wine.

The Type of Wine

The Kiddush is recited over the type of wine one would drink and offer to guests at festive events. The bible mentions red wine as selected wine (from the verse 'Don’t look at the wine when it is red'). However, it is possible to recite the Kiddush over any kind of wine or grape juice, as long as they are not spoiled or foul smelling. In addition, if one had drunk wine directly from the bottle, the wine is then called 'damaged wine', and is not used for Kiddush.

The Wine Glass

The honor towards the Kiddush is further expressed by pouring the wine to a pretty goblet. Many who wish to adorn the mitzvah use a decorated silver goblet. If there is no goblet at hand, it is important to ensure that the cup is whole without a crack.
The Kabbala literature states that according to Jewish mysticism the cup should be washed before the wine is poured into it, even if it is already clean