The Beginner's Guide: Is Lighting Shabbat Candles Still Relevant?

1. Peace in the Home. In the past, when fire was the only source of light, it was customary to light a candle on Shabbat and holidays because if the household was in darkness, it would be impossible to see the furniture and other items in the house leading to tension and quarrels. To ensure peace in the home, it was therefore established to light a candle before the start of Shabbat.

An additional hint for this reason can be found in the gematria (numerical value) of the word "ner" (250), which is the midpoint between the sum of the limbs in a man's body (248), and the limbs in a woman's body (252). Therefore, the lighting of the candle, which corresponds to both the man and the woman together, can bring about a harmonious connection and peace between man and his wife (according to Elia Rabba, Resag, B').

2. Respect and Pleasure of Shabbat. There is a commandment to honor and delight in Shabbat learned from the words of the Prophets: "And call the Shabbat a delight, the holy of Hashem honored...and honor it by not doing your ways" (Isaiah 58:13). To truly enjoy Shabbat, it should be accompanied by beautiful food- and part of the enjoyment is being able to see and appreciate it.

3. Correcting Eve's Sin. There are three special mitzvot traditionally given to women, and one of them is lighting the Shabbat candles. This mitzvah is seen as a spiritual repair for Eve’s mistake- as the first woman in history, whose soul encompasses all women’s souls. Eve caused Adam to sin with the Tree of Knowledge, which brought death into the world. Without that sin, humanity would have lived eternally, and the world would have reached its perfect state.

The sages referred to Adam as “the light of the world.” Since Eve extinguished that light, it was given to women to rekindle it through the mitzvah of lighting candles.

4. Extra Soul. A person who observes Shabbat is said to receive an additional, higher soul during Shabbat, and it is said, "The lamp of Hashem is the soul of man" (Proverbs 20:27). The first candle lit represents the soul we have throughout the week, and the second candle is for the additional soul present during Shabbat (Elia Rabba, Resag, B').

5. Higher Spiritual Reasons. Now that we have electricity, is this mitzvah still relevant? It’s important to understand that every mitzvah has deeper divine reasons beyond what we can fully comprehend. The explanations the sages give help us find meaning and connection, but the ultimate reason for any mitzvah is simply: because G-d commanded it.

As the Maharal of Prague wrote: “A mitzvah is a decree upon us. G-d did not consider what the recipient wants or prefers- it is simply a decree” (Tiferet Yisrael, ch. 6).

While some reasons for lighting candles are known, many remain hidden. But one thing is certain- lighting the candles brings a spiritual light into the soul, into the home, and into the Shabbat.

The Weekly Challenge

Prepare a beautiful pair of candlesticks in advance, or even just two candles on a tray. Check the candle lighting time for your location and welcome Shabbat by lighting the candles on time. Use this special moment to whisper personal prayers for yourself, your loved ones, and for all of the Jewish people. You can also recite the traditional candle-lighting prayer found in the siddur (prayer book).