Most religions have items that are significant due to their involvement in a religious ritual or because they are intrinsically linked to the religion as a symbol. Judaism is no exception; there are numerous items used in Jewish religious life and each item has a certain amount of symbolism that varies by the time of year. Because this number is quite large, it is difficult to identify those items which are always the most important. Therefore, in order to clean up some of the confusion, below is a list of the
Judaica, items with the most symbolism and significance.
The Torah. Obviously, the Torah is the most important Judaica item as it is the written location of the core beliefs of Jews as well as the first place where the Jewish tradition was written down. Because everything else in Judaism, from tradition to law to philosophy ultimately is derived from the Torah, it is quite important.
Shabbat Candles and Havdalah Candles. These two sets of candles are perhaps the two most important disposable Judaica items on the planet. This is because the lighting of Shabbat candles at sundown on Friday and the evening when a holiday starts actually marks the beginning of the holiday for the person lighting them, generally a woman. In this same vein, the Havadalah candle in conjunction with a blessing whose content is about the separation between the Jews in non-Jews in a religious context is the end of Shabbat and certain circumstances holidays as well. In addition to this, many women find these Judaica items to hold significance because the Shabbat candles are the act that a woman does to begin Shabbat and according to certain obscure Kabbalistic sources, the Havdalah candle when held by an unmarried woman, can determine the height of her future husband.
Mezuzah. The mezuzah is the most recognizable piece of Judaica that appears outside of a Jewish-owned home, although it also appears inside the home as well. This piece of Judaica is the piece of metal, wood or some other material like stone or ceramic with some Hebrew lettering and is off at an angle on the right doorpost and contains a section from the Torah in it. It is symbolic in that it represents G-d constant protection of the Jews from serious harm, both inside and outside the house.
Ketubah. This Judaica item is one of the most important objects involved in a Jewish marriage. A ketubah is a marriage document, usually written in Aramaic and sometimes translated into English. Its importance is that it symbols the mans obligation to love and support his wife. It is also the first known prenuptial agreement. These Judaica objects can be personalized even more if the couple decided to personalize it in a way that makes it more meaningful to them.
Tallit and Tefillin. These two Judaica items are worn by men during Morning Prayer services. Both of them symbolize G-ds protection and the fact that G-ds covenant with the Jews that gave them their special status amongst the nations. The tallit is a large four-cornered garment that has fringes known as tzitzit hanging off the corners and can be any number of colors and tefillin are the black boxes and straps that are seen in old paintings of Jewish men praying or studying the Torah.
Star of David. This Judaica item is not directly related to Judaism, but has been considered to be as such for a very long time. The Star of David can be found in all sorts of Judaica items. It is a 6 pointed star that is made up of two triangles that cross each other. It is allegedly the symbol that David engraved into his shield that was a request for G-ds assistance and salvation from whatever evil or enemy he faced.
