Mitzvot and Mindfulness: Lighting up the Night

By Rabbi Elyse Winick
KOACH Director

Entering into Tevet, the deep darkness of winter is softened by the growing light of the hanukkiah as we approach the end of Hanukkah. But our predisposition to lean towards the light is not at all Hanukkah-specific.

Each week we mark the onset of Shabbat with candlelight, and bid it farewell similarly. A reminder of a world without timers and where the only source of light needed to be kindled, these bookend flames help to set Shabbat apart, marking it off among the days of the week.

We light two candles on Erev Shabbat to recall the two statements on Shabbat in the Ten Commandments, Shamor et yom hashabbat l'kodsho (Observe/Guard the Sabbath day to keep it holy, Deuteronomy 5:13) and Zakhor et yom hashabbat l'kodsho (Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, Exodus 20:8). This delicate balance, between 'guarding' and 'remembering' is a subtle message about the power of Shabbat.

Fridays at our house are a maelstrom of activity. I often wonder whether the memories our kids retain will be of the joy and delight of Shabbat, or of the chaos and consternation which lead into it each week. But, no matter how much cooking, cleaning and work of the professional kind get crammed into Friday (and it doesn't matter if it's winter or summer, there's never enough time), the moment of hadlakat neirot, of kindling the Shabbat candles, is a portal to another world.

Unique among activities which require a blessing, we perform the obligation and then recite the brakhah. This fancy footwork ensures that we have lit the candles before Shabbat begins, preventing us from violating the proscriptions of Shabbat. Once we've recited the blessing over the candles, Shabbat begins for us. Instead, we light the candles, cover our eyes and recite the brakhah. When we open our eyes, the first thing we see is the candlelight, tying the brakhah directly to the action and drawing us into Shabbat.

Customs around this moment abound. Many people draw their hands towards them in a circular motion over the candles three times before reciting the blessing, to draw the light of Shabbat inward. Some families light a candle for each member of the household. Some take the quiet moments after the blessing is said and before opening their eyes and use them as an opportunity for personal prayer.

No matter how wild and woolly the afternoon has been, when I close my eyes to recite the brakhah, it's as if the day, the week, all disappear. As much as I have drawn Shabbat in as I circle the candles with my hands, now I am fully inside of Shabbat. I breathe deeply and exhale. Holiness is all around me. I open my eyes and begin anew.

[Posted 12/26/11]