×
Friend,    With Purim right around the corner, Sefaria is busy preparing for the “Purim bump” — the increase in users who visit Sefaria to celebrate the holiday. Last year, more than 100,000 people visited the library or used the app to connect with the holiday or read along with Megillat Esther. This year we’re expecting even more.    To help with our text and tech preparations ahead of this busy time, a generous Jewish foundation is matching all gifts to the library up to $36,000.    Please give today to help us meet your learning needs!     
Having a home means that one has a place in which to fulfill such obligations as welcoming guests, placing mezuzot on their door posts, and commemorating the destructions of the Temples. Jewish tradition uses the idea of “home” as a metaphor as well, likening a wife to a home, and imagining God as dwelling in God’s home(s), the Tabernacle — and then the Temples. Peace in one's home, shalom bayit, is also a priority.
Notable Sources
All Sources
A
Stewardship and Responsibility
TANAKH
When God places the first humans in the garden of Eden, their first home, it is with the understanding that they are responsible for its care. The biblical book of Genesis narrates the creation of the first people in the garden of Eden and God's plans for the garden's care.
For God to Dwell Among the Israelites
TANAKH
The Tabernacle — the portable Temple the Israelites used while traveling in the wilderness — is understood to be a home for God among the Israelite people. The book Exodus recounts God's instructions for the construction of the Tabernacle, including God's plan that it become the divine abode.
A Home in the Land of Israel
MIDRASH
The land of Israel is understood in the Jewish tradition to be a home for the Jewish people. Bereshit Rabbah, a work of talmudic-era midrash on the book of Genesis, expands upon the biblical narrative in which God warns Isaac against leaving the land of Israel.
After the Destruction of God's Home
TALMUD
The destruction of the two Temples, first by the Babylonians and then centuries later by the Romans, signified the loss of God's dwelling place among the Jewish people on earth. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Berakhot describes how, after the destruction, the divine presence was forced into exile but lingers in other Jewish communal spaces.
Make a Home Away from Home
TANAKH
After the Babylonian exile in the late sixth century BCE, God instructed the Israelites to build homes and establish lives. The book of Jeremiah records God's message to the Jewish people through the prophet Jeremiah, emphasizing that the Israelite people would— for a time — have to get used to life in exile.
God's Home on High
KABBALAH
Heikhalot literature, a genre of esoteric, mystical texts, describes visions of God's home on high, where God resides in elaborate divine palaces guarded and inhabited by heavenly creatures. Heikhalot Rabbati offers a vivid description of an encounter with God's heavenly abode.
Gender Roles in Talmudic Homes
COMMENTARY
The rabbinic sages of the Talmud lived in a society in which women tended primarily to the needs of the home, but that did not necessarily mean that they were relegated to the private sphere. In her 20th-century book Rereading the Rabbis, Rabbi Dr. Judith Hauptman argues that household management in ancient times was a public role.
Legally, What is a Home?
MISHNAH
The Jewish legal requirement to tithe produce takes effect only once the produce has entered its owner's home. Tractate Ma'asrot of the Mishnah, the first codification of Jewish law from the third-century land of Israel, records a debate about how a home is legally defined for the purposes of tithing and, specifically, the status of a courtyard.
Making Space for Creation
CHASIDUT
The kabbalistic tradition teaches that God, who is infinite, needed to contract Godself in order to make space for the creation of the universe, which was to be humanity's home. In his seminal 13th-century Chasidic work, Likkutei Moharan, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov describes the process of divine contraction in preparation for creation.
A Home, in the Proper Order
TALMUD
The rabbinic sages offer a blueprint for establishing a household, arguing that one should first establish a home and career before marrying. The Babylonian Talmud, in tractate Sotah, derives this order from biblical verses in the books of Deuteronomy and Proverbs.
Peace in the Home
TALMUD
The rabbinic tradition emphasizes the importance of shalom bayit, or peace within the home, considering it even in legal contexts. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Shabbat discusses when one should prioritize lighting the Shabbat lamp — understood as offering domestic peace — over other religious obligations.
Affixing a Mezuzah
LITURGY
Traditional Jewish homes are marked with a mezuzah, a small scroll containing portions of the Torah, in each doorpost, placed there as a symbol and reminder of Jewish identity and faith. The siddur offers instructions for affixing a mezuzah and includes the prayer to be recited upon its placement on the doorpost.
The Humble Dwelling
CHASIDUT
A sukkah is a temporary dwelling used during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter, in his 19th-century Chasidic commentary on the Torah, Sefat Emet, explores the symbolic meaning of the sukkah, arguing that it is an expression of the humility of the Jewish people.
Defining a Home in Jewish Law
GUIDES
The location of one's personal home has ramifications for Jewish law, and defining a person's fixed residence is not always straightforward. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, in his commentary on the Talmud, on tractate Eruvin, explores the complexities and nuances of defining a home for the purposes of the laws of Shabbat.
A Fence around the Roof
TANAKH
In antiquity, houses had flat roofs. The Torah requires Jews to be responsible homeowners by commanding them to build a fence around their roof to keep anyone from falling off of it.
A Beautiful Home
JEWISH THOUGHT
The Jewish tradition does not necessarily frown on aesthetic indulgences and even appreciates beauty. Rambam, in his 12th-century introduction to the mishnaic tractate Pirkei Avot, articulates the psychological benefit of having beauty in one's home.
Remembering the Destruction
HALAKHAH
After the Temple was destroyed, the ancient rabbis identified ways to remind Jews of the enduring loss. Rambam, in his comprehensive 12th-century code of Jewish law, Mishneh Torah, outlines the traditional practice of leaving a portion of a wall unpainted as a reminder of the loss of the Temple.
Finding Home Again
COMMENTARY
In the biblical world, a woman who married became part of her husband's household, finding a new home among his family. Malbim, in his 19th-century commentary on the book of Ruth, lays out a widow's options for finding or making a new home after the loss of her husband.
Sharing Space
HALAKHAH
The Jewish legal tradition emphasizes the importance of privacy in one's home, requiring neighbors and those who share space to take special care to ensure that the other has privacy. Rabbi Jacob ben Asher, in his 14th-century legal code, Arba'ah Turim, outlines the legal requirements for those sharing property.
Village Street in Noordwijk, Max Liebermann, 1905
Village Street in Noordwijk, Max Liebermann, 1905
We use cookies to give you the best experience possible on our site. Click OK to continue using Sefaria. Learn More.OKאנחנו משתמשים ב"עוגיות" כדי לתת למשתמשים את חוויית השימוש הטובה ביותר.קראו עוד בנושאלחצו כאן לאישור