Kiddush

Seph. Heb. /kee doohsh"/; Ashk. Heb. /kid"euhsh/, n. Judaism.

a blessing recited over a cup of wine or over bread on the Sabbath or on a festival.

[ < Heb qiddush lit., sanctification]

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Jewish prayer or blessing recited over a cup of wine immediately before the meal on the eve of the Sabbath or a major festival, acknowledging the sanctity of the day that is beginning.

It is usually performed by the head of the household, but it may involve all family members. After the recitation, each person sips wine from the cup. In the Ashkenazi tradition, two loaves of bread on the table signify the manna gathered by the Israelites during their years of wandering in the wilderness.

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▪ Judaism

also spelled  Qiddush (Hebrew: “sanctification”) 

      Jewish benediction and prayer recited over a cup of wine immediately before the meal on the eve of the sabbath or of a festival; the ceremony acknowledges the sanctity of the day that has just begun. Chanting, or recitation, usually performed by the head of the household, may involve several or all members of the family, depending on the custom; each then sips wine from the cup, which was held in the right hand during the benediction. In the Ashkenazi (German) tradition, two covered loaves of bread (halloth) on the table symbolize the double portion of manna gathered before the sabbath by Israelites during their years of wandering in the wilderness. If no wine is available, bread may be used as a substitute.

      Following an ancient custom from the days when wayfarers and the poor lodged in synagogues, some congregations recite the Kiddush at the end of the Friday-evening service in the synagogue—except on the eve of the Passover (Pesaḥ), when the recitation is reserved for the Seder service. The Kiddush that is recited after the morning service of the sabbath and of the festival is preceded by appropriate readings from the Bible.

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