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Shabbat Candles Across History
The following video offers a wordless demonstration of women lighting the Shabbat candles from Canaan (the biblical reference for Ancient Israel) 2200 BCE to the present day. Created by Rabbi
Bella Chagall’s “Burning Lights:” A Recollection
In this excerpt from the book “Burning Lights: A Unique Double Portrait of Russia,” Bella Chagall describes a detailed accounting from her childhood of what the Shabbat candle lighting ceremony
How to Light Shabbat Candles: Bringing Light to your Family
This video, by Rabbi Janet Ross Marder, describes how to light the Shabbat evening candles, with a focus on bringing light and peace to your home and family. Rabbi Marder
“Blessed is the Match”: A Poem by Hannah Senesh
The following poem, “Blessed is the Match” by Hannah Senesh, describes the human soul as analogous to a match that is desperate to spread its light to other flames. Although not
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel Quotes on Shabbat Candles
These poetic quotes from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel describe the moment when Shabbat arrives, bringing with it an atmosphere of light, peace, rest, joy, and renewal. Heschel points to the creative and
Candle Lighting: The Test of Time
The following excerpt from the article “Truth Stands the Test of Time” explains how the Shabbat candles are symbolic of the truth and authenticity of the Torah and the Jewish
A Beginners’ Guide to Shabbat Candle Lighting: Article and Video
The following article, How to Light Shabbat Candles, by Rabbi Michael Strassfeld, Richard Siegel and Sharon Strassfeld, discusses both the how to’s of the Shabbat candle lighting ceremony and the
How to Light Shabbat Candles: Reform Tradition & Customs
This video demonstrates how to light the Shabbat candles and recite the blessing according to the Reform tradition. In the first of a series of instructional videos, Rabbi Betsy Torop discusses
Alexander Goldscheider’s Tune for the Blessing over the Shabbat Candles
In this video, Alexander Goldscheider, a Jewish Czech-born composer, performs a unique musical rendition of the blessing over the Shabbat candles. Golscheider’s uses lyrical repetition and rising notes throughout the melody
Shabbat Candles as a Revelation of the Hidden Light of Creation
The following excerpt is a translation and explanation of a Hasidic text relating to Shabbat candle lighting, from The Sabbath Soul: Mystical Reflections on the Transformative Power of Holy Time by Eitan