Every Friday, at least 18 minutes before sunset, Jewish women everywhere usher in the
Shabbat by lighting candles. But, why candles? Before we answer the question let’s get back
to that word I mentioned earlier: Shabbat. Shabbat, or Shabbos, is Hebrew for rest,
and it refers to the seventh day of the week, which Jewish people observe as a holy day
and … they rest. Why? It’s the day that G-d rested after spending
six days creating the universe. He commanded us to treat it like a
weekly holiday. Rejoicing, eating good food, wearing nice
clothing, spending some extra time studying
Torah and praying, unwinding with family and friends, and
refraining from specific types of work. There are a lot of details and laws about
how to keep Shabbat, which begins before the sun sets on
Friday afternoon and ends a bit after nightfall the
following night. But Shabbat isn’t only about what
you can-and-can’t do. Shabbat is a day that we become connected to G-d
on a deeper level than the rest of the week, an island of unplugged, unhurried, and
unadulterated spiritual bliss. Now, back to the candles. There are some very practical reasons why
we light candles before Shabbat. First of all, before everyone had
electric lighting, candles were the best way to see in
the dark. And since it’s forbidden to light or
extinguish a flame on Shabbat, you’d need to light your lamps
before Shabbat officially begins. With the candles lit well before sunset,
you can rest assured that you won’t be stubbing your toe
everywhere and eating in the dark. The candle light brings a peaceful
Shabbat ambiance, demonstrating respect for the holiness
of the day. It helps us let go of any feelings of stress
or tension, and adds to the atmosphere of pleasure, which
defines the essential Shabbat experience. On a spiritual plane: King Solomon says “G-d’s
mitzvahs are a candle, and the Torah is light.” Our Shabbat candles bring Divine light to
our homes and our families. Just like a candle, our souls are constantly
reaching upwards, trying to connect to our spiritual source. But it can’t end there! That spiritual energy must be translated
into our everyday lives. We need to take the transcendent and tranquil
message of Shabbat and transform it into something we can
relate to every day of the week. That’s exactly what happens when we do
this special mitzvah. The ethereal light of Shabbat is infused into
the physical flame of a candle, making the physical wick and fuel
into light and warmth. Jewish women have this unique power to bring
the spiritual into the physical realm. Just like how only a mother can bring a soul
into this world, in a tangible way. But if no women are present, a man should
light them. Here’s how it’s done: First, check to see when the proper candle
lighting time is in your city, generally it's 18 minutes before sunset. This changes from week to week, so it’s a good idea to have a Jewish calendar
with Shabbat times handy. Or you can visit Chabad.org/Candles
and enter your location. Next, get your candles. Single women use one candle. And after marriage, women light two. Some have the custom of lighting an
additional candle for each child, since every child brings their own
unique light into the home. If you have fancy silver candlesticks,
use those. But there’s nothing wrong with using simple
tealights. Set them up where you plan to eat
your Shabbat dinner. Make sure it’s a safe place where the
candles won’t get bumped, since you can’t move them once
Shabbat starts. Before the candle lighting time, make
sure your Shabbat prep is done, and you’re all dressed for Shabbat. It’s customary to give charity and
then light the candles. When the candles are lit, don’t extinguish
the match. Instead, carefully put it down on a
fireproof surface. Cover your eyes and recite the blessing. Now, uncover your eyes and take in the
beauty of the candles and enjoy these first tranquil moments as
the light of Shabbat fills your home. This is an incredibly special time to pray
for yourself and your loved ones. A flame can seem so small and weak. How much of a difference can it make in the
gloom of a world engulfed in darkness? The answer is a lot. The beauty of light is that, as the mystics
tell us, even the smallest point of radiance can dispel much darkness. That’s why the Lubavitcher Rebbe established
a campaign to encourage every Jewish woman, even very young girls, to light candles
before Shabbat. Empowering every woman to share her
spiritual light. As part of this campaign, a small ad space
was purchased on the front page of the New York Times. The time for candle lighting in New York City
was printed there every week. On New Year’s day, 2000, the Times published
a special “Y2K” edition, envisioning what the headlines might look like
on January 1st, in the year 2100. They had put a lot of imagination into the
future headlines… and in that tiny corner at the bottom, an accurate listing for candle lighting times
in New York, one hundred years later. “We spent a lot of time thinking what could possibly
be the news a hundred years from now.” said one of the newspaper staffers. There is a good chance there will be no
newspapers by then. But Jewish women and girls will still be
lighting candles.
