I believe it is tradition; but consider that if you abide by the command to not kindle a fire once Shabbat commences, the lighting of the candles just before sundown and the tradition to let them burn out, will provide light through the evening of Shabbat. Maybe the prayer of blessing was added to sanctify what was otherwise a practical application for light during the Shabbat meal and for fellowship after the meal.
I don’t have this on any authority, I’m just considering possibilities.
It is interesting to note that Karaite Jews do not light Shabbat candles since it is forbidden to burn fires on Shabbat (Exod 35:3). They contend that the blessing that ends in “commanding us to light Sabbath candles” is not in Torah or even the “Oral Law”, and violates the command not to add or diminish the commandments of Torah (Deut 4:2). It has always confused me that we make every effort to turn off the cooking “fires” by sundown (which were lit before sundown) , but allow the candles to continue to burn. If one is not allowed to continue to burn, why is the other one “commanded”. Just food for thought.
Good point – some other points of confusion for me: the Sabbath setting available on my oven (even if I could figure out how to set it), and the Sabbath elevators in Israel. When bawar is sometimes translated as kindle and other times as burning or consuming, it does require us to examine other possibilities. If burning is the understanding, then what does that say about any artificial light, computer use, overhead projectors, sound systems, etc., on Shabbat? Even batteries create sparks. Are we swatting at gnats and swallowing camels? I don’t know, really. I’m not making judgments here; these are things I wonder about for my own practice — even reading and responding to TW on Shabbat might be need to be curtailed. 🙁
Your concerns are the reason why the rabbis expanded the 9 prohibitions found in the written Torah to 39 and then to 100’s. All of these issues were never considered by Moses but they are now part of our culture, so we need to address them. And what usually happens if that we follow the examination of a particular rabbi.
i love the water pics.
Awesome Don’t forget to light the Shabbat Candles.
The lighting of the candles is just rabbinical tradition and not actually Scriptural, correct?
I believe it is tradition; but consider that if you abide by the command to not kindle a fire once Shabbat commences, the lighting of the candles just before sundown and the tradition to let them burn out, will provide light through the evening of Shabbat. Maybe the prayer of blessing was added to sanctify what was otherwise a practical application for light during the Shabbat meal and for fellowship after the meal.
I don’t have this on any authority, I’m just considering possibilities.
Yes,but it’s nice.
It is interesting to note that Karaite Jews do not light Shabbat candles since it is forbidden to burn fires on Shabbat (Exod 35:3). They contend that the blessing that ends in “commanding us to light Sabbath candles” is not in Torah or even the “Oral Law”, and violates the command not to add or diminish the commandments of Torah (Deut 4:2). It has always confused me that we make every effort to turn off the cooking “fires” by sundown (which were lit before sundown) , but allow the candles to continue to burn. If one is not allowed to continue to burn, why is the other one “commanded”. Just food for thought.
Good point – some other points of confusion for me: the Sabbath setting available on my oven (even if I could figure out how to set it), and the Sabbath elevators in Israel. When bawar is sometimes translated as kindle and other times as burning or consuming, it does require us to examine other possibilities. If burning is the understanding, then what does that say about any artificial light, computer use, overhead projectors, sound systems, etc., on Shabbat? Even batteries create sparks. Are we swatting at gnats and swallowing camels? I don’t know, really. I’m not making judgments here; these are things I wonder about for my own practice — even reading and responding to TW on Shabbat might be need to be curtailed. 🙁
Your concerns are the reason why the rabbis expanded the 9 prohibitions found in the written Torah to 39 and then to 100’s. All of these issues were never considered by Moses but they are now part of our culture, so we need to address them. And what usually happens if that we follow the examination of a particular rabbi.
Thank you Skip!