Procedure for Lighting

Procedure for Lighting Shabbat and Yom Tov Candles

Traditionally, the candle-lighting is the role of the woman of the house. However a man living alone must light candles for himself. The ceremony of lighting the candles should, ideally, be attended by all members of the household. Creating an atmosphere of family participation in the act of ushering in the Shabbat serves to foster the celebratory spirit of Shabbat observance by imbuing it with the enjoyment that comes of family rituals performed together. All present normally stand for the ceremony.

The usual practice is to light at least two candles, but if this is not possible, one is sufficient. They are said to be in remembrance of the two expressions used by the Torah in recording the fourth commandment: "Remember the Shabbat" (Exodus 20.9) and "Keep the Shabbat" (Deuteronomy 5.12). They are also said to symbolise man and woman. Some families have the custom to add an additional candle for each child born into the family. The candles are lit in the room where the festive meal takes place.

After lighting the candles, the woman covers her eyes with her hands and recites the blessing with her eyes covered. Some women have a custom to first gesticulate three times with their outstreched arms, waving them toward themselves in an embracing and beckoning gesture of welcome and greeting to the incoming Shabbat.

Many women further enhance the ceremony by chanting the blessing in a traditional family melody which is passed down from mother to daughter. Spoken or sung, the blessing should be recited aloud and the others present respond with "amen."

It is a widespread custom for the woman to remain in the same posture for a few moments after the blessing while offering up a silent prayer of her own. For the rest of the family, those few moments are ones of quiet meditation. She then greets all the members of the family individually, in turn, with a Shabbat greeting -- again, either spoken or in song.

Two things about this procedure are worth examining a little more closely. Firstly, if the mitzvah of candle-lighting is of rabbinic origin, how can we say, in the blessing, that God has commanded us to do so? The answer is that mitzvot of rabbinic origin are said to be divinely mandated by the biblical verse (Deuteronomy, 17.11) "You shall act in accordace with the law that they will teach you and according to the judgment which they will tell you ..."

Secondly, why the practice of covering ones eyes for the blessing? This is because a blessing recited over the performance of a mitzvah is usually required to precede the mitzvah, not follow it. The blessing is meant to herald the act, proclaiming that it is being performed in fulfillment of a religious obligation. However, the act of reciting this blessing is regarded as ushering in the Shabbat; halachically, one accepts the Shabbat by this blessing. This being the case, one would then be forbidden to light a flame. Therefore the lighting of the candles must precede the blessing. But, in an attempt to retain a semblance of the usual order of events in peforming a mitzvah, i.e., the blessing preceding the act, we close our eyes immediately after lighting the candles so as not to look at the light, and only open our eyes and make use of the light after reciting the blessing.

On Yom Tov, it is permitted to light a candle provided it is done so in the manner prescribed by halachah for lighting a flame on Yom Tov. Therefore, strictly speaking, the above does not apply in the case of Yom Tov. Nevertheless, for the sake of consistency, the same procedure is also followed on Yom Tov.