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Candles feature quite prominently in Judaism. Every week the Shabbat day is ushered in by the woman of the house as she blesses the Shabbat candles. Every Saturday night a braided candle is lit so as to accompany the Shabbat as she leaves. On the anniversary of a family member's death or of people who one feels a close affiliation to a commemorative candle is lit. On the festival of Hanukkah a nine-branched candelabra is lit on every day of the eight-day festival (one of the branches contains a candle which is used to light the others and is therefore lit every night in addition to the number of candles being lit which correspond to the night of the festival). "Ner Hashem Nishmat Adam" (Proverbs 20:27) is a verse that translates to mean, "The Light of G-d is the Soul of Man." This phrase highlights the special connection between candles and Judaism. The soul of a person is likened to a "Ner," a candle- in the same way that the flame always reaches upward towards the Heavens, so too the soul of man is constantly working to get closer to its creator. Each candle that is used in various ceremonies in Judaism has its special role; - The candles lit by Jewish woman on the eve of Shabbat and festivals usher in the holy day for the entire household. A minimum of two Shabbat Candles must be lit, corresponding to the two-pronged commandment to "guard and remember the Shabbat day". It is traditional for mothers to light an additional candle for every child that is born in to the family.
- At the end of the Shabbat day, when night has descended, the man of the house performs the Havdalah ceremony. A Havdalah set is often used which is made up of a container of spices, a braided candle and a goblet. The goblet is filled wine, the candle lit and the spices held. The man of the house then recites blessings over all of these objects as well as other verses relating to the differentiation between certain opposites in Judaism that G-d created, including between light and dark. The Havdalah candle is braided, usually consisting of at least two wicks. There are special Decorative Safed Candles that can also be bought for the Havdalah Ceremony that have been exclusively created in the city of Safed and are often quite intricate and very beautiful.
- On the anniversary of a family member, respected personality or friend, a special candle called a Yahrzeit Candle is lit. This, once again, is in reference to the parallel drawn between the soul and a candle. Although the person has passed on physically, his soul has been returned to His creator and his memory remains with us forever.
- The Menorah is lit on the festival of Hanukkah in commemoration of the miracle that happened in the Temple after the success of the Maccabees. They relit the Menorah when re-dedicating the Temple and a small flask of oil that should have lasted a day lasted eight instead.
At Ajudaica.com you can find candles for Shabbath, Hanukkah candles, Havdalah candles and more. visit our web-store!
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