Brooke Martin
Shabbat is ushered in every Friday night with the lighting of Sabbath candles, referred to in Yiddish as licht bentschen. The Talmud records that lighting Shabbat candles is a mitzvah, a commandment, and Shabbat candles must be allowed to burn out on their own. The practice of not blowing out Shabbat candles stems from the belief that it is forbidden to kindle a flame on the Sabbath. The earliest Shabbat candles may be lit is 75 minutes before sundown, and the latest is a few minutes before sundown.
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What You'll Learn
- Shabbat candles should be allowed to burn out on their own
- The lighting of the candles is a commandment, but the Torah does not record a blessing
- The blessing we say today is based on the blessing for lighting Hanukkah candles
- The custom is to light two candles, but some light one, and others light more
- The obligation to light the candles rests on all members of a household, but the woman of the house traditionally lights them
Shabbat candles should be allowed to burn out on their own
Shabbat is ushered in every Friday night with the lighting of Sabbath candles, referred to in Yiddish as licht bentschen. The lighting time varies depending on the time of year and location, but it must always be done before sunset. The earliest time to start Shabbat is an hour and a quarter before sunset.
Shabbat candles should not be extinguished but should be allowed to burn all the way down. This is because extinguishing a flame is prohibited on Shabbat, in many instances, biblically. If you are concerned about the candles causing a fire, it is better not to light them at all than to light and blow them out. You could also light them in a sink or take other precautions such as buying a more stable candelabra.
The Talmud records that lighting Shabbat candles is a mitzvah, a commandment. The obligation to light the candles traditionally falls on the woman of the household, but in contemporary egalitarian families, any adult may light them. The most common custom is to light two candles, one to "remember" Shabbat and one to "guard" Shabbat.
Shabbat candles must burn for at least 3.5 hours, and some sources say they should burn for two to three hours.
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The lighting of the candles is a commandment, but the Torah does not record a blessing
The lighting of Shabbat candles is a tradition that is said to bring peace and sanctity into people's homes. The candles are lit every Friday evening, marking the beginning of Shabbat. The Talmud and Torah both refer to the commandment of lighting Shabbat candles as a "mitzvah", but neither text mentions a blessing. The first recorded instance of a blessing being said for the lighting of Shabbat candles is found in the Siddur of Rav Amram (9th century).
The blessing said today is modelled on the blessing for lighting Hanukkah candles. In Jewish tradition, blessings are usually said before the act, but in the case of Shabbat candles, the blessing is said after the lighting. This is because saying the blessing over the candles brings in Shabbat, and it is forbidden to light candles during Shabbat. Therefore, the blessing is said after the candles are lit to avoid desecrating Shabbat.
The Shabbat candle-lighting tradition holds that a minimum of two candles should be lit, representing the dual aspects of Shabbat – Zachor and Shamor. However, many households have a tradition of lighting more candles, sometimes one for each member of the household. The candles are typically white and are lit 18 minutes before sundown on Friday. In some cities, such as Jerusalem, the custom is to light the candles earlier, about 40 minutes before sundown.
The lighting of Shabbat candles is traditionally the obligation of the woman of the household. In households without an adult woman, a man takes on this responsibility. In contemporary egalitarian families, any adult in the house may light the candles, and often the whole family participates together.
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The blessing we say today is based on the blessing for lighting Hanukkah candles
The lighting of Shabbat candles is a rabbinic requirement. Traditionally, it was the obligation of the woman of the household to light the candles, although in contemporary egalitarian families, any adult can light them. The Talmud records that lighting Shabbat candles is a commandment, but it does not record a blessing attached to them. The first recorded instance of a blessing for lighting the Shabbat candles is found in the Siddur of Rav Amram (9th century). This blessing is based on the blessing for lighting Hanukkah candles.
The Hanukkah blessing is recited before the lighting of the candles. The traditional Hanukkah candle-lighting service consists of saying all three blessings on the first night and only the first and second blessings for the seven nights that follow. The blessing is designed to remind us of the specific miracles that happened to our ancestors.
The Shabbat candles must be allowed to burn all the way down. If you are concerned about the candles still burning when you go to bed, it is better not to light them at all. However, if there is a risk to life, it is permissible to extinguish the candles.
The earliest one may light Shabbat candles is 75 minutes before sundown. After sundown, Shabbat has begun, and no new flames may be kindled.
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The custom is to light two candles, but some light one, and others light more
The custom of lighting Shabbat candles is a rabbinic requirement. The prevalent custom is to light at least two candles, which correspond to the two forms of the mitzvah of Shabbat. In Exodus, we are told, "Remember (zachor) the day of Shabbat and make it holy." This encompasses all the positive commandments associated with sanctifying Shabbat. In Deuteronomy, we are instructed, "Keep (shamor) the day of Shabbat and make it holy." This encompasses all the negative prohibitions associated with Shabbat.
However, it is important to note that one can fulfil the basic mitzvah of Shabbat candle-lighting with even one candle. The Lubavitcher Rebbe encouraged all young girls to light their own Shabbat candles with the consent of their parents. He instructed that before marriage, girls should light only one candle out of respect for their mothers, who are responsible for lighting Shabbat candles in the home.
Some people light more than two candles. For example, some women light seven or ten candles, while others light a number of candles corresponding to the number of people in the family. All customs are halachically acceptable, and each lady should follow her custom consistently. If a woman finds herself away from home, she may light just two candles, even if she lights more when she is at home.
Shabbat candles must burn for at least two to three hours, until you recite Hamotzi, the blessing over bread. It is forbidden to use them for any practical purpose, including reading. It is traditional not to move the candles after they are lit, and they should be placed in a safe location away from flammable items. While it is generally prohibited to extinguish a flame on Shabbat, it is permitted to do so to avoid a risk of loss of life.
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The obligation to light the candles rests on all members of a household, but the woman of the house traditionally lights them
The obligation to light the Shabbat candles falls on all members of a household. However, traditionally, the woman of the house lights the candles. This custom was established by the Sages, who attributed the responsibility of lighting the candles to the woman of the house as it was believed to atone for Chavah's part in the sin of the eitz ha-da'as (Tree of Knowledge). According to the Torah, Chavah (or Eve) caused Adam to eat the forbidden fruit, resulting in the loss of mankind's immortality. As Chavah "extinguished the candle of the world," it is believed that a woman can remedy this misdeed by lighting the Shabbat candles for her household.
The Talmud records that lighting Shabbat candles is a mitzvah, or a commandment. While the practice is not mentioned in the Torah, it is believed to have originated as an extension of the prohibition of kindling a flame on the Shabbat. The earliest one may light Shabbat candles is 75 minutes before sundown, and they must burn for at least two to three hours. After sundown, the Shabbat has officially begun, and no new flames can be kindled.
In egalitarian families today, any adult in the household may light the Shabbat candles. However, it is customary for the woman of the house to perform this ritual. If a woman is unavailable or unable to light the candles, another household member may take on the responsibility. In some families, all the women in the household may light candles and recite blessings over them.
While it is generally discouraged to blow out Shabbat candles, some sources suggest that it is permissible to do so in the interest of safety, such as to prevent a fire. Additionally, it is permitted to extinguish the flame after lighting the candles but before reciting the blessing of le-hadlik ner shel Shabbos. However, once the blessing is recited and the Shabbat has officially begun, one should not blow out the candles.
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Frequently asked questions
Extinguishing a flame is severely prohibited on Shabbat, in many instances, biblically. The Talmud records that lighting Shabbat candles is a mitzvah, a commandment, and it is customary to let the candles burn out on their own.
Traditionally, lighting Shabbat candles was the obligation of the woman of the household. In households with no adult woman, a man would take over the responsibility. In many contemporary egalitarian families, lighting candles may be done by any adult in the house.
The lighting of Shabbat candles must always be done before sunset. The earliest time to start Shabbat is an hour and a quarter before sunset.
