Guest Post By: Yehudit Bat Yonathan
Kindling the Shabbat
candle has been a very important religious ceremony and is associated with the
ushering in of Shabbat since ancient times. In those days, the
Shabbat lights were interpreted as commemorating the ancient custom of weekly
refilling and rekindling the Menorah in the temple. But since the absence of the
temple, the new generation says that the importance of the candle lights lies
in the symbol of the joyful delight that fills the Jewish home on the Shabbat.
18 minutes before sunset all manner of work stops and the ushering in of the
Shabbat begins.
- A table which will be covered using a white cloth.
- A candle stand.
- Two candles.
These are needed
by the females in the home. The candles are lit after reciting the blessing
"Barukh atah Adonai elohenu melekh ha olam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav
v'tzvanu l'hadik ner shel-shabbat".
Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who
has sanctified us by thy commandments and commanded us to kindle the Shabbat
lights. She does this by shielding her eyes with the palms of her hands.
WHAT DOES THE TWO SHABBAT CANDLES SIGNIFY?
According to our
sages, the Shabbat candles signifies peace and tranquility in the home. It is
also said that the candles represents the husband and wife.
The Hebrew word
" Ner" which means "candle" has the numerical value of 250,
in other words two candles combined together will give the numerical value of
500.
According to the
Talmud, there are 248 limbs and organs in a man's body while in a woman's body
there are 252 which if combined together gives us a total of 500. Thus, the
lighting of two candles represents the togetherness of the husband and wife
which is the foundational reason behind the mitzvah ( law) of the Shabbat
candles.
The mystical
connection between Shabbat and femininity according to Kabbalah is the
"lighting of the Shabbat candles". It is said that she invites the Shabbat angels
who are "the angels of peace" into her home for blessings of peace by
offering prayers and lighting the Shabbat candles. With this, the moment she
transcends into an awesome divine space of higher consciousness. She is now
face to face with the creator.
In equal vein, the Shabbat is referred to as
"The Beloved, the Queen and the Bride". It's a day in which the
fundamental essence of creation takes a total different form.
WHY IS THE LADY OF THE HOUSE CHOSEN TO PERFORM THIS UNIQUE
MITZVAH?
The Shabbat is
referred to as the divine attribute of kingship. On a kabalistic level, it is
the receptacle of divine sustenance which flows from the higher attribute of
kingship into the physical world. She was chosen because of her inherent
physical nature that receives first and forms the embryo. This possibility can
be related to the divine attribute of kingship wherein the Shabbat is
intrinsically female because of her ability in giving nature of the previous
six days of the week.
Due to the receiving
nature of the Shabbat and the biological receiving nature of women
"Conception", the Shabbat corresponds to the disposition of women in
general.
WHAT FACTOR DOES THE ZOHAR REVEAL?
According to the
Zohar, the woman is chosen specifically to light the Shabbat candles because if
her sin in the Garden of Eden. Where she unwillingly expelled much of the
divine light from world ( Zohar 1:48b). Because of this, the creator obliged her to
light the Shabbat candles as a duty in order to restore what was lost.
WHAT'S THE ESSENCE OF THAT ONE TRUE PRAYER BEFORE LIGHTING
THE SHABBAT CANDLES?
The blessing we
recite " Barukh atah Adonai ( Blessed are you Adonai) Asher kid'shanu (
who has sanctified us with his commandments.....) It might interest us to know
that the word "kid'shanu” comes from "kiddushin" which is
related to marriage. In essence, this means that whenever we recite the
blessing we bind ourselves to the creator just like the case of a wife and her
husband.
To draw the
curtain, our first thought as humans is the pure spiritual element which follows
our lighting of the Shabbat candles. This degree of our physical enjoyment
during the rest of Shabbat goes hand in hand with our spiritual concentration
there in bringing peace and tranquility in the home.
Shalom!
Yehudit Bat Yonathan
Rock Of Ages Synagogue, Asaba, Delta State, South-Eastern Nigeria
Yehudit Bat Yonathan
Rock Of Ages Synagogue, Asaba, Delta State, South-Eastern Nigeria
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this wonderful write-up, Yehudit.
ReplyDeleteBut would like to know if men would be permitted to light the candles in situations where there are no women in the house
Great post.. Keep the work going, shabbath shalom
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warm support and encouragement. May you be favored by the Holy One of Israel, Blessed is He!
DeleteGood work.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks! Shalom!
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