B"H
Ilona Magaseyeva
Judaic Studies 83.1.
Prof.Leiman
Spring 2000
THE HIDDEN POWER OF THE JEWISH HOME
Subtopic: Lighting Candles
“Kol kvod bat melech pnima...-- all of the honor of the daughter of the King is within” (Psalms 45:14).
And truly so, the Jewish home has always been a fortress of holiness, and the one who is called a home is the woman. As Rabbi Yossi said, “... I called my wife my home and my home I called my wife” (Gittin 52a).
She is the one who creates and preserves an island of holiness within it, protecting everyone in her household.
Our foremothers showed us the way to build the ideal home. When Yitzchak took Rivkah for a wife, he first "brought her into his mother’s tent and took Rivkah and she became his wife and he loved her and was comforted after [the death of] his mother" (Bereishit 24:67).
Yitzchak began building his home by bringing Rivkah into his mother’s tent to show her the kind of home he grew up in and wanted to have when he was married. There were three very special characteristics which distinguished this tent. When Sarah lit the candles for Shabbat, they burned from one Shabbat to the next. When she kneaded the dough, there was such a blessing in the bread that whoever ate even the smallest piece was satisfied. And the Cloud of Glory was always present, showing that the Divine Presence rested on the tent.
The home that Sarah created reminds us of another place where all these characteristics were found: the Beit HaMikdash (The Holy Temple) , the dwelling place of the Shechina (Divine Presence). In the Beit HaMikdash, when the kohen lit the candles of the Golden Menorah on erev Shabbat, they burned till the following erev Shabbat. Every Friday, the twelve loaves of bread were replaced with newly baked ones. The bread from the previous week, which had miraculously stayed fresh, was then divided among the kohanim; our Sages tell us that even if a kohen received a small piece, he felt satisfied.
So we see here that Yitzchak was actually asking Rivkah if she was capable of building a Beit HaMikdash. Before the Holy One, Blessed is He, caused Sarah’s sun to set, he caused Rivka’s sun to rise (Bereishit Rabba 58:2).
After he showed her the tent and she agreed to follow in his mother’s ways, their home was a Beit HaMikdash, just as every Jewish home is a miniature Beit HaMikdash — and the builder of this Beit HaMikdash is the woman.
The woman is the one that makes sure that her home is a place of happiness, sanctity, and joy, a place of shalom bayit. And Shabbat candles are the symbols of the shalom bayit.
As the gateways to Shabbat open wide and the pure and holy serenity descends upon the home, the glowing candles illuminate the home, the family, and the world as a whole. It is a time when we are exalted, standing in our own Beit HaMikdash, like a Kohen Gadol lighting the golden Menorah.
There is a mitzvah to light candles on late Friday afternoon, which will burn into Friday evening. This is derived from Shulchan Arukh 263:2, and Mishnah Berurah. Three reasons are given for the mitzvah of Candle-lighting: Light maintains family harmony by helping people to avoid accidents in the dark; lighting candles in the dining room honors Shabbat; and dining by the light of the candles increases the diner’s enjoyment of the food, fulfilling Oneg Shabbat.
That the mitzvah of Candle-lighting is connected to both Kavod and Oneg Shabbat can be seen from the Rambam’s discussion of these mitzvot (commandments). In Hilchot Shabbat 5:1, he states, “Men and women are obligated to have candle burning in their homes on Shabbat... This is included in the mitzvah to enjoy Shabbat (Oneg Shabbat).” In Hilchot Shabbat 30:2-5, he discusses the mitzvah of Kavod Shabbat: ”How is the mitzvah of honoring Shabbat [fulfilled] ? The sages have said that it is a mitzvah for a person to bathe ... in hot water on Friday to honor Shabbat ... . The table should be set, candles lit, and the beds made ... . All these things express the honor of Shabbat.”
So, we learn from Rambam that candles must be lit before sunset in order to honor Shabbat. In like manner, when a Queen comes into a house, the house is already prepared to welcome the Queen and the light is already there.
It is evident from the Rambam’s words that two mitzvot are fulfilled through the Shabbat candles:
• lighting candles before Shabbat is part of Kavod Shabbat,
• while having them burn on Shabbat is part of Oneg Shabbat.
In general, Oneg Shabbat is fulfilled by enjoying Shabbat on Shabbat and Kavod Shabbat is fulfilled through actions done in anticipation of Shabbat. See the Beit HaLevy, Vol.1, No.11, and the novellae of haGaon Rav Chayim of Brisk(stensil) in the name of HaGaon Rav Yitzchak Ze’ev Soloveitchik.
According to those authorities who maintain that the mitzvot of Kavod and Oneg are prescribed by Torah Law, candle-lighting is part of both Torah obligations. See the Sha’ar HaTziyum 242:1 and the Eliahu Rabbah 671:2.
In addition, the Gemorah (Shabbat 23B) states one more reason for why candles must be lit before Shabbat is. That is because the Pillar of Fire, which hovered at night always appeared with the Pillar of Cloud (a herald of rain) before sunset. This idea awakens us to try to delve into and understand the meaning and the secret of light.
“In the beginning of G-d’s creation ... G-d said, let there be light; and there was light.”(Rashi, Bereishit 1-3).
So, according to the very first passage of the Torah, we see the major principle of life, that G-d’s first creation, light , is the source of all that follows. Hence, we infer that darkness, which represents unhappiness, loneliness, illness, poverty, sadness, death, etc., - is bogus, it only exists to accommodate light. A mere shell embodying and serving the light.
The Torah continues (ibid.) , “ ... and it was evening and it was morning, one day”, emphasizing that evening precedes morning. What other nation begins the day at nightfall? The idea to perceive the night as a harbinger of day can only so closely associate with the unique nation that bears the yoke of One G-d, the Children of Israel.
Even the words in the principal Jewish prayer of Shema :
“Shema Israel, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad,” in other words, “Listen, Jewish People, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One” reveal the meaning of unity between darkness and light. Where darkness (signifying the judgment incurred upon a person, like death or illness, etc.) and light (signifying G-d’s mercy leading to a person’s joyous state) stem from One Source, G-d, the Creator. And we infer this from the names of G-d denoted in the verse mentioned above. We know that G-d has seventy-two names. And each of the names refers to a distinct way that G-d manifests Himself to us , which gives us a way to relate to Him. The name “Lord (Hashem or Yud Keh Vav Keh)” refers to the Creator when He manifests His compassion. “Our G-d (Elokeinu)” refers to the Creator when He acts as a Ruler who metes out justice. The third mention of G-d is again “Lord (Hashem or Yud Keh Vav Keh)” , which suggests that G-d is one and the same loving divinity, whether He reveals Himself to us as a G-d of compassion or as a G-d of justice. All He does comes from His love for us, although He must sometimes act in the way that seems harsh with us in order to effect justice.(Aiken, L.,The Hidden Beauty of the Shema)
Anything that ever happens to people, good, or khas veshalom (G-d forbid) - not good, is G-d's great urge for us (all of klal Israel) and helping us, to grow individually as well as a whole. [I heard a couple of wonderful quotes pertaining to this idea: "G-d loves you, please call home" or “If you feel that G-d is far away, know that He was not the one who moved”]. So He sits there waiting for us to contact him, sometimes He needs to give us a hand, but that help comes in different forms. And whatever may seem bitter, it is the best way for salvation. Like a bitter medicine that a trustworthy Doctor prescribes, and we have no choice but follow him and accept the required treatment.
There's a verse in tehilim twenty-three sang by King David:
‘ A psalm by David.
Hashem is my shepherd, I shall not lack.
In lush meadows He lays me down,
beside tranquil waters He leads me.
He restores my soul.
He leads me on paths of justice for His Name’s sake.
Though I walk in the valley overshadowed by death,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me.
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in view of my tormentors.
You anointed my head with oil, my cup overflows.
May only goodness and kindness pursue me all the days of
my life,
and I shall dwell in the House of Hashem for long days.’
“Gam ki eilech bgei tzalmavet, lo yira ra ki ata imadi, shivtecha umishantecha heima yenachamuni - Though I walk in the valley overshadowed by death, I fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23, the 4th sentence) The rod, also serves as a staff. The same stick that hits us also serves to support us whenever we need to lean on it. Also, the beginning of the same psalm (23), “Hashem Royee, lo echsar...”, or “Hashem is my shepherd, I will not lack,” describes G-d as a shepherd, who uses his staff to hit the helpless sheep to keep them from going off the right track, to keep them away from the wolves; and just like sheep feel no worry, because their shepherd sees to their every need, so should we feel content knowing that G-d will provide us with what we truly need.
In the desert , the Pillar of Fire (that gave light to enable Jews to travel at night) constantly appeared by day while the Pillar of Cloud that (protected the Jews) was always visible at night time. Daily they paired off to manifest their union. They were one because they came forth from the One Source.
The Shabbat candles also express this concept. Rabbi Shmuel E. Brog conveys in his overview, The Shabbos Candles, that darkness itself gives rise to the Shabbat candles, which are necessary in order to see. In this, they are like the Pillar of Fire , which was also required to make travel at night possible. But there is yet a deeper parallel. The Shabbat candles are a mitzvah, they are lit because of a Divine command, thus they are similar to the Pillar of Fire , which was also a Divine light.
The Pillar of Fire , which illuminated the night was invariably seen before sunset together with the Pillar of Cloud in order to demonstrate that its radiance at night was daylight in a different form. Its miraculous rays were consequently a lesser manifestation of the original all-encompassing Light of Creation. Undoubtedly, the exuberant bliss of those who beheld it is indescribable in human terms.
But the Shabbat candles are sacred; a Divine light was also unveiling the inner Radiance of Creation. For that reason, they , like the Pillar of Fire , must be lit before sunset to attest that they, too extend the light of day beyond its natural limits.
The Shabbat candles are not characteristic of any fire lit during the week, even the Havdalah, we thank Hashem for teaching us how to make the light through , which we overcome the obstacles imposed by darkness. On Erev Shabbat we thank Him for revealing that darkness itself is merely another form of light.
Since every Jewish home, as mentioned earlier, is a miniature Beit Hamikdash, the glorious epitome of the Jewish home, we need to look deeper into its structure.
Three times a year – on Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot – all Jews went to Jerusalem to celebrate the holidays during the Beit HaMikdash, which was central to the spiritual life of the Jewish people.
Our nation gathered there, together as one, to deepen both their personal and national sense of connectedness to G-d. It was a place of concentrated spiritual power and electrifying inspiration.
A centerpiece of our Temple was the Menorah which was lit daily. Since then buildings were illuminated by the natural light of the sun, windows were designed to be narrower on the outer side of the wall and wider on the inside. This design served as a type of funnel that captured the rays of the sun and dispersed the light inside the building.
Curiously, the windows in the Temple had the opposite design. They were narrow on the inside and wide on the outside. Why?
The light of the Menorah represents Torah wisdom. Shimon Apisdorf explains that the seemingly backward design of the windows signified that this wisdom was to radiate out to the entire world. More than the Temple needed the light of the sun, the world needed the enlightening wisdom of the Torah.
Another distinguished and important item, the Ark, in the Temple represented the Torah even more clearly than the Menorah. The Ark contained the tablets of the Ten Commandments, and the very first Torah scroll, written by Moshe. But the question lies, if the Ark contained the Torah, how did the Menorah also represent Torah?
Since the Torah actually has two parts : One part being the Written Torah, commonly called the Five Books of Moshe, and known to mankind as the Bible whose text is written on every Torah scroll.
The second part of the Torah known as the "Oral Torah" given at Mount Sinai to the Jews, which was studied, memorized and carefully transmitted directly from teacher to student.
Going back to the Menorah, the Ark and the Temple windows: beautiful lights shone from the Menorah represented the Oral Torah since it liberates the meaning and the wisdom contained in the Written Torah. Meanwhile, the tablets and the Torah scroll were kept in a closed Ark – because without the benefit of the Oral Torah, the Bible is a mere closed book!
The windows of the Temple were backward to signify that more than the Temple needed the light of the sun, an often darkened world needed and still needs the light of Torah.
In the book of Rut, Ruth said [to Naomi], “Don’t ask me to leave you and to stop following you, for where you go, I will go... . Your people shall be my people and your G-d, my G-d... . Thus shall Hashem do to me and even more [literally: and thus shall He increase], if anything but death[literally: for death] shall part us.(Rut 1:16-17)”
In this statement of Rut’s acceptance of Judaism, we focus on the clause: “Thus (khaf hei) shall Hashem do to me and thus (khaf hei) shall He increase”. The numerical value of the word “thus” (khaf hei) is twenty-five, and the twenty-fifth word in the Torah is ohr, “light.” Koh therefore alludes to light. Rut was saying: As a gentile, I was in the dark. But now Hashem will make light for me and increase it because I have become a member of Israel.
Similarly, the Torah says, (Shemot 10:22-23) “ There was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt..., but all the Children of Israel had light”. And Scripture says, (Ishayah 9:1) “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, the light has shined upon them”; and (Ishayah 60:1) “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of Hashem shines upon you”.(Ben Ish Chai (Em HaMelekh): Israel & the Nations: Light, p27)
Chanukah candles breaking through the night of galut (exile) provide another powerful insight to this idea.
Chanukah is about two ever present forces: darkness and light. It’s about a struggle between two world shaping ideologies: Hellenism and Judaism.
The Festival of Lights, takes place at the darkest time of the year, which represents the darkest time of our history. The time when, unfortunately, the seventy nations of the world did not understand the nature of the sacrifices in the Temple. For that reason, the Jewish People have suffered countless pogroms throughout the ages and the destruction of two Holy Temples.
It occurred in Israel during the Hellenistic oppression called galut Yavan. This third exile lasted one hundred and eighty years, and was dubbed the exile of darkness due to the fact that the Greeks made every effort to make Jews see and understand the world in a way which was alien to the Torah.
The Greeks were conquering the world, with their ideas as well as their armies, and were bringing a modern, practical, "enlightened" philosophy to the world. Resistance to this force came from where one would have least expected it. A small group of people, without military power, without weapons, went into the streets against the Greek rule, and were victorious! As the psukim 8-9 in tehilim 20 state: ”eile barechev ve’eile basusim, va’anachnu besheim Hashem Elokeinu nazkir. Heima kar’u venafalu, va’anachnu kamnu vanit’odad. -- Some with chariots, and some with horses, but we - in the Name of Hashem, our G-d - call out. They slumped and fell, but we arose and were invigorated.”
Although the Greeks did not actually destroy our Temple, they contaminated it. Chanukah celebrates the return of holiness to the Temple after the contamination of the Greeks.
It was the exile of darkness, for the reason that nothing is as dark as the enslavement of the human mind. The galut Yavan is always referred to as darkness since it took away the light of Torah.
Chanukah is about the awesome subtleness of life. It’s about how little things can make a profound difference, and it’s about discovering the soul in the flame, the soul in everyday life and the power of the Jewish soul in history.
The holiday of Chanukah is about the imperceptible human spark that enables people to reach far beyond their perceived limitations. It’s about the power in a diminutive flame to banish an enormous darkness. It’s about a tiny people that is able to overcome the most daunting of foes. The purpose of kindling the menorah is to rekindle in ourselves the light of the triumph over darkness.
There is a custom, among some people, of turning off the lights at the time of lighting the menorah on Chanukah. This emphasizes the idea of light coming forth from darkness, and holiness appearing where it is least expected.
It is customary on Shabbat , during Kiddush, to look at the candles when reciting a prayer Va’ychulu. Indeed, Va’ychulu describes how G-d completed creation; the Shabbat candles enable us see it.
The Rambam’s statement can now be better understood in the profundity that the Shabbat candles must be lit early to honor Shabbat.
By lighting candles early we testify that there is no real darkness on Shabbat and hence give a great honor to the Sacred Shabbat. Shabbat is an absolute radiance! It’s heaven! Shabbat reflects the Sublime Joy that set creation in motion, and the Infinite Bliss of its culmination.
On the passage (Eicha 3:17) “And my soul despaired of having peace,” the Talmud (Shabbat 25B) expounds, “[Because it lacked] Shabbat candles.” Rashi clarifies “ ... without light there can be no peace because they [people] will constantly stumble and be compelled to eat in the dark.”
But the question is why do Chazal, the Sages, suggest that only an absence of light on Shabbat mars the peace? According to Rashi’s explanation, it seems that an absence of light on any day would be equally disruptive.
In order to answer this, it is necessary first to define the word peace. The Hebrew word for peace, Shalom, originates from the word Shlamut, which means complete, totally integrated. In Shalom, people relate to each other in the manner that cells and limbs of the human body relate to each other – in total harmony. Harmony is the vessel that transforms material conveniences into blessings. Enjoyment is within reach, even in the physical sense, only in the presence of peace. Precisely as all the elements that compose the human organism are part of one totality, so too, people in Shalom are perfectly united in the Source of All Being.
Shimon Apisdorf in his book on Chanukah sets down an interesting perception that within the lights of the Chanukah Menorah there is a spiritual energy that is able to help us reconnect with that , which is inspiring and uplifting in life. “The dancing flames of the menorah are there to spark a sense of innovation in life.”
Each of us is considered a precious source of light, and when G-d told the Jewish people that the little lights of the Menorah are more precious to Him than the lights of all the stars [He placed] in the sky, He was telling us not to evaluate beauty and radiance of our inner lights in terms of anything else but ourselves. In the realm of the soul, in the realm of the deepest human accomplishment, there is no room for competition, yet room enough for a world full of winners- a world full of little precious lights.
To experience the oneness of Shalom, man has to first sublimate his material nature due to the fact that matter is exclusive; It’s not possible for two physical beings to occupy the same place at the same time; one necessarily excludes the other.
Scripture (Iyov 12:11) writes that Hashem invested man with all the wild characteristics of beast and then decreed that he harness and channel them until he transforms himself into a civilized, moral being. Throughout the time that Noah was in the ark, he had to give each animal its particular food at proper time. All th while in the ark he had to work on developing his character , on his capability to give and care for other beings.
There is an astounding parable about a king who had a wonderful map of the world. The map was his most treasured possession because it made possible the conquest of every land. Once, the precious map fell into the hands of his young son who unintentionally tore it to pieces. The king, speechless, verged on collapse. Seeing his father’s despairing condition, the child jumped up and cried, “Don’t worry, Father, I’ll put it all together.”
Surely so, the boy fulfilled his promise. With diligent care and effort he fitted every little piece together.
Amazed at his son’s accomplishment, the king exclaimed, “Where did you learn this secret? How were you able to possibly remember where all the pieces belong?”
“There is no big secret,” the boy replied. “I noticed a picture of a man on the back of the map. Once I put the man together, the world automatically fell into place.”
Indeed, the map of the world, and with it the map of family life, is ripped and shredded. To paste all the parts together is an impossible undertaking. All one can do is begin to work on his/her own character. Once the person mends himself, he will automatically mend everything.
The Torah’s (Iyov 5:7) precept that “Man was created to toil,” was given to Adam when he resided in Gan Eden, where all his material needs were acquired without labor. Therefore, this passage obviously means that his sole occupation was to strive for an ever greater degree of unity with the One Source of All Being. (In other words, to toil in Torah. See Targum Yonatan Bereishit 2:15).
After his sin, his obligation to achieve Divine union became extremely more difficult because Adam was forced to provide his own physical sustenance. He was diminished and made to serve that part of his being , which divorces him from the whole; he was forced to toil and invest time in that segment of his nature, which is selfish, which is limiting, which makes him arrogant and angry.
Rabbi Yeruchim Levovitz , zichrono levracha, the late world renowned mashgiach of the Mirrer Yeshiva, once said,
“Man is like a compass. Although the arrow always faces north, it can easily be pointed elsewhere. However, it will remain in place only as long as it is held; remove the finger and it quickly reverts to its original position.
“The same is true of man. His arrow, i.e., the essence of his soul, is always pointed heavenward. By virtue of his very nature, man seeks only good and reverence for G-d. It is only here, in his physical form, that his true essence is distorted by outside forces which lead him astray. Therefore, man is not required to seek new virtues he does not already possess. No, he is only called upon to refrain from doing what for him is perverted and unnatural. If only he could flee the influences which corrupt him, he would automatically turn to kedusha and to G-d.”
Unfortunately, for six days that men are instructed to work, they are still beset with this difficulty. Of course, there is a substantial difference between the righteous, who are minimally affected, and the wicked, who have become horribly deformed. Nonetheless, during the six days of toil for bread everyone is too fearful and too worried to integrate totally with others.
Perfect Shalom is attainable only to an individual who is freed of Adam’s curse; to an individual liberated from fear of want; to an individual whose body does not crave fulfillment of every desire any longer. He must be at rest; serene, tender and genial. In other words, he must return to Gan Eden.
Shabbat is this Gan Eden. Therefore, not only all manner of creative physical work is forbidden on the Holy Day, but even the necessity for it must be avoided. As Rashi states: “When Shabbat comes you should view all your work as being finished in order to free your mind of all physical concerns.” (Shemot 20:9)
Thus the first prerequisite of total Shalom is tranquility. Our sages write: “Peace is wonderful. It is the only container Hashem found to store Israel's blessings (Uktzin 3:12).” Even the most beautiful home, furnished elegantly and with every modern convenience , is worthless if it does not have tranquility.
As the passage in Mishlei(17:1) states: “Better a piece of dry bread with tranquility than a home full of sacrifices of strife.” If one eats his “dry bread” primarily to keep healthy, there can be “tranquility”, i.e., if the individual has made peace with himself, he can get along with others. But if he eats not to satisfy his own needs but to fulfill the desires and/or expectations of his neighbors, if he must feed himself to impress others, then his fine china, brand-new car, and expensive house are also inadequate. This is where the trouble begins. It does not take much to support oneself, under normal circumstances, a garment and a portion of bread suffice. When one however, must dress and eat to excite others, then there are no limits.
Tranquility enables to let go of the anxiety, the conceit, and the greed that disrupts it .
However, total Shalom requires one other condition which is the light. Since light stimulates the intellect to differentiate and to perceive the uniqueness of each and every being, the Talmud (ibid.) for that reason refers to it as Shalom. To treasure these differences is the sign of Shalom.
Shlamut, the unqualified affirmation of humility, entails diversity to the point of inequality. In Shalom, each individual perceives the unique excellence that all others possess to the extent that he views everyone as greater than himself (see Igeret haRamban). This is possible because he understands the oneness that unites all Jews, therefore, their excellence is really his excellence.
Darkness is called erev in the lashon hakodesh (Holy Tongue), because it mixes (orav) things together and destroys diversity. Darkness is the terrific equalizer that turns distinctiveness into nothingness.
On the other hand, light is known as boker fore the reason that it gives rise to beekur, the careful examination that discovers value everywhere.
To contemplate further (from Rabbi Shraga Simmons) , the Jews in Egypt had sunk to the forty-ninth level of spiritual impurity, and only when they hit rock-bottom did they turn to G-d and cry out. It was at that moment that they were redeemed. Redemption can be as quick as the blink of an eye. Our Egyptian experience began with Yoseph sitting in the dungeon prison -- and rising to the position of prime minister in the span of one day! When we see the evil being set to an end, the Egyptians drowning at the Sea, we are grateful to the One who arranged the turnaround! G-d delivers us from slavery unto freedom. The Seder is the only one of the six-hundred and thirteen mitzvot that is performed specifically at night, for on Passover, we turn the darkness into light.
The night before Passover, at the beginning of the night of the fourteenth of Nissan, we search for chametz by the light of a candle immediately after stars emerge. Since chametz alludes to the yetzer hara (evil inclination) , and the candle signifies the mitzvot, as it says: “For a commandment is a candle and the Torah is light” — through the strength of the mitzvot, one will be able to eradicate evil within him and thus uncover his greatness.
Also, by looking at a candle, we can learn how to overcome the yetzer hara and how to root out the chametz from within us. While the candle burns, it sheds light around it. But when it is extinguished, it becomes completely dark. Not only this, but its wick is then left as black as ashes, leaving dirt on the hands of whoever touches it. So too, a man should realize that as long as he is alive, he can be successful and wealthy, and it is still within his power to add to his record more mitzvot and good deeds. However, once his “candle” has been extinguished, and he passes from this world, his opportunity to perform mitzvot and good deeds is dark as the night (Ben Ish Chayil, Section 4, 160)
People in Shalom cannot possibly intrude upon each other because they clearly see the Divine beauty of every being. Unbound by want, they are free to be themselves and free to esteem others.
So, to the extent that the individual liberates himself from the pursuit of selfish, egotistical, material needs (Shabbat rest) he obtains an open mind, broad enough and sharp enough to discern (by the light of the candles) the sublime qualities that distinguish each and every family member, guest, and even each object.
Anyone who has ever experienced the Kedusha of Shabbat can testify that the harmony that is present at the Shabbat table cannot be duplicated on a regular weekday. At other times light can minimize friction, but on Shabbat it generates Gan Eden.
The intensity of union manifest in Kiddush and the HaMotzee, when all are gathered become one with the reciter, when Halachically his lips become their lips, visibly gives emphasis on the uniqueness of even the youngest child who must cooperate in silence for the Kiddush to proceed. And when it is over, he also must partake of the wine and challah together with all present.
Oneness gives rise to individuality! To penetrate this knowledge is to try the indescribable rapture of Oneg Shabbat. To attain it we light Shabbat candles!
To experience Oneg Shabbat – the Heavenly Oneness, the ecstasy of Gan Eden – is a Divine gift unobtainable by human effort alone. It is bestowed by the Almighty as a reward for Shalom Bayit.
Shalom Bayit is based on the principle that union is the essence of life. If union is central then man is eternal; if, khas veshalom, Heaven forbid, it isn’t, man is no more than a piece of clay.
The knowledge of this is precious to all who comprehend that a man/woman without a spouse is nothing but a semi-being. As Rabbi Eliezer said, “He who has no wife is not called ‘Adam’ (a man)” (Yevamot 63). Why is that? Man is incomplete and as long as he is alone man is blemished because he cannot fulfill his goal. The Zohar explains that the Shechina cannot rest on something that is not perfect, for something that is imperfect is incomplete.
Marriage is a chance for perfection since it’s said:“Male and female He created them, and called them ‘Adam’ ” (Bereishit 5:2). The Vilna Gaon explains (Vilna Gaon, Mishlei 9:10) this strange structure of the pasuk (sentence) that because Hashem wanted the woman to be a helpmate to the man, He created them as one and then divided them – only if the woman is part of her mate will she be able to truly help him. Alone, neither of them is complete. Both halves are needed to create one whole. Completeness comes when these two halves join together into one unit; when a husband and a wife complement each other; when two help each other, and give to each other. The love and harmony between them becomes greater than that between people in any other relationship. They’re like one body. And when these two halves are joined, bringing completeness, the Shechina becomes a partner with with them.
Shalom Bayit exists only in families which despise the concept that marriage is a partnership of convenience. Marriage means union, oneness. It means courtesy, respect and consideration. So, instead, they perceive it as a Divine creation , which transforms two partial-beings into one whole entity. “And they shall be one being (basar echad)” (Bereishit 2:24). Two total strangers, absolutely opposite in character and temperament – a male and a female – unite making a home.
They comprehend wedlock (the union of ish with his yud and isha with her hay) as a living real-life manifestation of the Yud and the Hay that spell the Name with , which Hashem creates the world. They clearly see their “One Soul” in the “One Flesh” of each and every child. Their kedusha grows in union with their family. In turn, the glory of Hashem is more obvious because there is a greater sphere of Shalom – the primary Name of G-d.
In lashon hakodesh, the word “father” is spelled with the first two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, alef and bet. This implies that he must lead and set the family’s pace. On the other hand, the word “mother” is spelled with alef and mem, the first and middle letters. This indicates that she must unify the family as the center unifies the whole. Father’s task is responsibility and mother’s task, devotion.
Shalom Bayit accordingly sets roles for man and for woman. It requires a husband who is creative, unafraid of toil, dedicated to enhancing the Divine nature of his family and the world. A husband fulfills his first obligation to intensify his own G-dliness by loving his wife as he loves himself, and by honoring her more than he honors himself.
The Rambam (Hilchot Ishut, Chap.15: 19, 20) puts it this way: “...The husband must honor his wife more than he does his own person and he must love her as he loves himself; he must add to her comforts according to his means; he may not be domineering, but must speak softly; he may not appear [to her] depressed or irate.” Without her he has no continuity; no strength to conquer the world; and no real self.
In turn, Shalom Bayit requires a wife who is dedicated to loving kindness; to building a home , which is a haven of comfort and inspiration for her husband and her children. A wife fulfills her first obligation to make herself Divine by uniting with her husband in fulfilling his wishes as she would a monarch’s .
Rambam continues: “...The wife must honor her husband in extreme measure and revere him; everything she does must be in accord with his wishes; he should be as a king in her eyes; she should walk in the desires of his heart and reject whatever he despises.” This oneness make her embodiment of Shechinah. Without him she is void of Torah. Without him she is mortal.
“This is the way Jewish daughters, and Jewish sons, those who are sacred and eternal, act in marriage. In this way their life together will be beautiful and exalted.”(ibid.)
We see all this manifested in the act of lighting Shabbat candles. The completeness Shalom of Shabbat does not appear only with the lighting of candles, but is brought in by the attitude of the husband and wife. As we see in the following example of Rabbi Brog. First, the husband honors his wife by placing the candles on the table and preparing them to be lit. Afterwards, in a voice filled with love he gently reminds her to light them.
Gladly she hurries to do his bidding and to usher in the Shabbat. Because she perpetuates the home, she was chosen to be the hostess to greet the Divine Guest who weekly visits their earthly abode.
As she prepares to light the candles, she meditates: “I am His agent. This makes us One. Now I have the strength to kindle the only light capable of absorbing darkness – the Divine light of Oneness, the Shabbat lights.”
She kindles them and instantly Oneness appears before her eyes.
“True, I see two candles, even two flames – but there is only one light! No longer will our two distinct bodies blind us to the fact that my husband and I are one. No longer will our physical differences come between us. Indeed, how this One light urges me to focus on the Divine Image that all men possess.”
Although both men and women are obligated to light candles (Shulchan Arukh 263:2), the women of the household light on behalf of the family. Because their principle work is inside the home, and they are primarily responsible for its care, women were chosen to perform this mitzvah (Shulchan Arukh 263:3). They were also chosen because lighting candles rectifies Chava’s sin, which caused “the light of the world” to be extinguished (Mishnah Berurah 263:12). This refers to the tradition that death came to the world as a result of Adam’s sin.
We are well acquainted with the story. G-d commanded man saying, 'Of all trees of the Garden you shall eat. And from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil you will not eat, for on the day you eat from it you will surely die.' (Bereishit 2:16-17) Man’s body is earth as verse follows ”And G-d made man, dust from ground” (Bereishit 2:7). A man’s body consists of the most simple element of Earth. Hence we infer, he is simple. And he had to be clearly told that if he eats what is forbidden, he will die.
Chava , blinded listened to the seductive and cunning snake, which is also compared to our Evil inclination that incited her. The tireless yetzer hara is always ready to attack the unsuspecting; As it is said, “The evil one is on watch for the righteous and seeks to destroy him”(Tehilim 37:32).
Her mind was dulled and “she took of the fruit and ate ... . And she gave some to her husband.” Sin is contageous. Just as a ‘mitzva goreret mitzva’, a good deed triggers another (opportunity for a) good deed. Same is,unfortunately, true for the opposite, ‘aveira goreret aveira’, a bad deed, khas veshalom, follows another bad deed. Immediately after, they gained their consciences , they awakened. They regretted and “Adam and his wife hid from G-d” – they were disturbed.
According to commentators, through eating of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, the tendency to do evil was internalized within the human psyche. Before the sin, man and woman had an intellectual choice between good and evil, but evil was outside of the body, not an inner pull or an emotional desire.
Previously, a person's soul expressed itself through its body. Body and soul were in concordance with each other. For instance, whenever the soul wanted to pray to G-d, the body rose early and prayed. Whenever the soul wanted to study and grow most effectively, the body ate healthy foods and took care of itself to provide the necessary fuel and energy for the demanding task.
Now, the body is no longer in the service of the soul, it’s no longer in a rush to do its bidding. When a soul wants to pray, a body groans, turns over and shuts off the alarm clock. When the soul strives to perfect itself, the body craves to eat chocolate cake, watch television and lie on the beach. Now, not only is the body not a reflection of the soul, but they are now working at cross-purposes.
Chava and Adam ate from the tree, and although death was not the immediate result of their transgression, they were driven from Paradise and became mortal. While wrongdoing may seem innocent, one quite often has to pay up the price with interest for the consequences incurred.
Adam is referred to as “the light of the world”; by bringing him to sin, Chava caused this “light” to be extinguished. By fulfilling the mitzvah of lighting Shabbat candles, a woman helps to rectify this sin. Husbands help participate in the mitzvah by preparing the wicks and singeing them (Ibid.)
Since we have discussed earlier that darkness is bogus and thus conclude that there is no absolute evil. We, therefore derive a lesson that destruction (brought by sin, for example: Adam and Chava) cannot be the end. We learn from our imahot, Mothers, who built an eternal nation from hopeless circumstances.
Hashem made our Mothers barren. Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel and Leah were all unable to have children by nature. And the reason brought by our Sages is that it is because G-d longed to hear their prayers.(Yevamot 62)
Prayer alone made them fertile and brought our nation into being. Thus, even devastation and barrenness, is, nevertheless, beneficial and must bring us closer to G-d. That is the basis of our existance.
We are taught that “all generations are redeemed only in the merit of the righteous women, the nashim tzidkaniot, of each generation.”(Midrash Zuta, Rut 4:11)
In all generations, Jewish women have had a remarkable share in the redemption and the salvation of their people. As it says, “In every place where the men broke the wall, the women fenced and repaired it.”(Midrash Tanchuma, parshat Pinchas) When the men made the Golden Calf, the women refused to contribute their gold and jewelry. Later, when the spies returned and spoke disparagingly about Eretz Israel, saying it was a land that destroys its people, the daughters of Zelofchad came to Moshe and said, “ we want an inheritance in Eretz Israel.”
In Egypt, the midwives Shifrah and Puah rescued and cared for the newborn infants, although Pharaoh could have had them killed for disobeying his command. Because they feared Hashem more than fresh-and-blood king, they were rewarded with the monarchy and priesthood for their descendants.
All women in Egypt were faced with terrible decrees. Their husbands worked as slave laborers. Men would be so worn out they never even came home - they just fell down in the field as they worked, slept a little, were beaten, and got up to work again, too tired after a day of slave labor to be involved with their wives. When women went to the well to draw water, they would search for small fish , which they then cooked into a meal for their husbands. To ensure the future of the Jewish people, the women beautified themselves for their husbands and used the mirrors to allure them.
The mirrors that conventionally would characterize a physical action was raised to represent something spiritual, pure, and hopeful; they brought continuity.
The same mirrors that were used by the women in Egypt to adorn themselves to entice their husbands were later used in the desert to construct a wash basin for the Mishkan, the portable Sanctuary (Shemot 38:8). It is by the means of this basin that the priests purify their hands and feet in preparation for performing the holy service symbolizing the pure intentions of those righteous women. Rabbi Shimshon Rafael Hirsch (20th century Germany) explains that: The washing symbolizes, the moral "keeping holy" of one's actions and efforts.
And Rashi adds, "G-d said to Moshe, 'Take those mirrors. They are the dearest to Me of all, for with these mirrors the women brought the Jewish people into being...'" (Rashi 38:8).
According to Judaism, women, share a special trait called binah, a deep understanding. In the Torah, women are exemplified as having a rich inner world, endowed with a unique power to influence people's character; they are described as having insight and perception beyond logic, external facts and superficial facades.
At the time when Bilaam wanted to curse Jewish people, he noticed that the doorways to their tents did not face opposite each other, and no one could look into his neighbor’s house. Even though there were three million people in tents, not even one tent faced the doorway of the other. So great is the modesty of the Jewish people that the blessing Bilaam gave became famous: “Ma tovu ohalecha, Yaakov...- How good are your dwelling places, your tents...”(Rashi, Bamidbar 24:5)
Chafetz Chaim says that one of the reasons that Hashem watches and guards over the Jewish people is because of modesty (Dvarim 23:15). Our sages tell us that the first Beit HaMikdash was destroyed because of three sins: bloodshed, adultery, and idolatry (Yoma 9b). They explain that the “Adultery” referred to here was lack of tzniut, modesty.
The modest behavior of a Jewish woman has a tremendous power in controlling her own personal destiny as well as the destiny of the Jewish people.
Our Sages said: “ All flour(kemach) is flour (i.e. most flour is mixed with coarse bran, like the personal motives mixed into most people’s behavior), but Kimchit’s flour is finely sifted (i.e. her actions are done purely for the sake of Heaven).” To Kimchit, the Sages applied the verse (Tehilim 45:14), “All the honor of the king’s daughter remains within; she will be adorned with squares of gold.(Vaikra Rabba 20:11)”
Kimchis who’s been a paragon of modesty had seven sons. Each one, at one time or another served as a High Priest. The remarkable fact here is that this came about without any of her sons dying in order for this to happen. In every case, there was a special reason why the brother currently serving as High Priest needed a temporary replacement. Since in Judaism nothing just “happens” in life, all is Divine Providence, the Sages went to ask Kimchis in what merit she had the priveledge of seeing each of her seven sons serve as a High Priest. Her answer became familiar to all: “The walls od my house have never seen the hair of my head”(Yerushalmi, Yoma 1:1).
The Zohar says that a woman who is very particular with covering her hair, allowing no hair to show, is promised that her children will be endowed with graciousness and will be among the most important people of their generation. Also, she is promised that her children will be like an olive tree, which stands above all trees for its leaves never fall and always stay green. In the same way the children of a modest woman will be more important than all other people in the world, and her husband will be granted blessings from above and below: riches, children and grandchildren, and will be blessed from Zion and merit to see the good of Yerushalayim and peace.
The hidden power of the jewish home is the woman’s ability to create and preserve holiness within it. And modesty is her crown, revealing the woman’s true beauty. The saying that a princess’s greatest honor is within, and is more noteworthy than her golden embroidered garments – means that a modest woman is worthy of producing high priests who are clothed in gold embroidered garments. A princess wears her precious jeweled crown, no matter how heavy or uncomfortable it is because she recognizes its great value. She knows what it’s worth.
A daughter of the King of all kings, a Jewish woman bears in mind that extent of her modest behavior will cause the greater possibility of having sons who are Torah scholars who will enlighten the world with their Torah and righteousness. She recognizes the certainty that modesty is a guarantee of holy, righteous children(Chafetz Chaim, Mishnah Berurah1).
In the merit of the righteous women, the Children of Israel were redeemed from Egypt. They converted the darkness of Pharaoh into the Light of Deliverance and Torah.
Every week, the daughters of those righteous women carry on the tradition of lighting the hallowed candles. The Shabbat candles signify the eternal light shining through the dark to show hope and eternity of the Jewish nation. Their faithful devotion to the kindling of this Divine Light of Union will soon, certainly, transform the darkness of Exile, into the Eternal Light of Moshiach(Based on the Maharal). Amen.
Current Location:jerusalem
Current Mood:
thoughtful
brakhavshalom
Ilona Magaseyeva
Judaic Studies 83.1.
Prof.Leiman
Spring 2000
THE HIDDEN POWER OF THE JEWISH HOME
Subtopic: Lighting Candles
“Kol kvod bat melech pnima...-- all of the honor of the daughter of the King is within” (Psalms 45:14).
And truly so, the Jewish home has always been a fortress of holiness, and the one who is called a home is the woman. As Rabbi Yossi said, “... I called my wife my home and my home I called my wife” (Gittin 52a).
She is the one who creates and preserves an island of holiness within it, protecting everyone in her household.
Our foremothers showed us the way to build the ideal home. When Yitzchak took Rivkah for a wife, he first "brought her into his mother’s tent and took Rivkah and she became his wife and he loved her and was comforted after [the death of] his mother" (Bereishit 24:67).
Yitzchak began building his home by bringing Rivkah into his mother’s tent to show her the kind of home he grew up in and wanted to have when he was married. There were three very special characteristics which distinguished this tent. When Sarah lit the candles for Shabbat, they burned from one Shabbat to the next. When she kneaded the dough, there was such a blessing in the bread that whoever ate even the smallest piece was satisfied. And the Cloud of Glory was always present, showing that the Divine Presence rested on the tent.
The home that Sarah created reminds us of another place where all these characteristics were found: the Beit HaMikdash (The Holy Temple) , the dwelling place of the Shechina (Divine Presence). In the Beit HaMikdash, when the kohen lit the candles of the Golden Menorah on erev Shabbat, they burned till the following erev Shabbat. Every Friday, the twelve loaves of bread were replaced with newly baked ones. The bread from the previous week, which had miraculously stayed fresh, was then divided among the kohanim; our Sages tell us that even if a kohen received a small piece, he felt satisfied.
So we see here that Yitzchak was actually asking Rivkah if she was capable of building a Beit HaMikdash. Before the Holy One, Blessed is He, caused Sarah’s sun to set, he caused Rivka’s sun to rise (Bereishit Rabba 58:2).
After he showed her the tent and she agreed to follow in his mother’s ways, their home was a Beit HaMikdash, just as every Jewish home is a miniature Beit HaMikdash — and the builder of this Beit HaMikdash is the woman.
The woman is the one that makes sure that her home is a place of happiness, sanctity, and joy, a place of shalom bayit. And Shabbat candles are the symbols of the shalom bayit.
As the gateways to Shabbat open wide and the pure and holy serenity descends upon the home, the glowing candles illuminate the home, the family, and the world as a whole. It is a time when we are exalted, standing in our own Beit HaMikdash, like a Kohen Gadol lighting the golden Menorah.
There is a mitzvah to light candles on late Friday afternoon, which will burn into Friday evening. This is derived from Shulchan Arukh 263:2, and Mishnah Berurah. Three reasons are given for the mitzvah of Candle-lighting: Light maintains family harmony by helping people to avoid accidents in the dark; lighting candles in the dining room honors Shabbat; and dining by the light of the candles increases the diner’s enjoyment of the food, fulfilling Oneg Shabbat.
That the mitzvah of Candle-lighting is connected to both Kavod and Oneg Shabbat can be seen from the Rambam’s discussion of these mitzvot (commandments). In Hilchot Shabbat 5:1, he states, “Men and women are obligated to have candle burning in their homes on Shabbat... This is included in the mitzvah to enjoy Shabbat (Oneg Shabbat).” In Hilchot Shabbat 30:2-5, he discusses the mitzvah of Kavod Shabbat: ”How is the mitzvah of honoring Shabbat [fulfilled] ? The sages have said that it is a mitzvah for a person to bathe ... in hot water on Friday to honor Shabbat ... . The table should be set, candles lit, and the beds made ... . All these things express the honor of Shabbat.”
So, we learn from Rambam that candles must be lit before sunset in order to honor Shabbat. In like manner, when a Queen comes into a house, the house is already prepared to welcome the Queen and the light is already there.
It is evident from the Rambam’s words that two mitzvot are fulfilled through the Shabbat candles:
• lighting candles before Shabbat is part of Kavod Shabbat,
• while having them burn on Shabbat is part of Oneg Shabbat.
In general, Oneg Shabbat is fulfilled by enjoying Shabbat on Shabbat and Kavod Shabbat is fulfilled through actions done in anticipation of Shabbat. See the Beit HaLevy, Vol.1, No.11, and the novellae of haGaon Rav Chayim of Brisk(stensil) in the name of HaGaon Rav Yitzchak Ze’ev Soloveitchik.
According to those authorities who maintain that the mitzvot of Kavod and Oneg are prescribed by Torah Law, candle-lighting is part of both Torah obligations. See the Sha’ar HaTziyum 242:1 and the Eliahu Rabbah 671:2.
In addition, the Gemorah (Shabbat 23B) states one more reason for why candles must be lit before Shabbat is. That is because the Pillar of Fire, which hovered at night always appeared with the Pillar of Cloud (a herald of rain) before sunset. This idea awakens us to try to delve into and understand the meaning and the secret of light.
“In the beginning of G-d’s creation ... G-d said, let there be light; and there was light.”(Rashi, Bereishit 1-3).
So, according to the very first passage of the Torah, we see the major principle of life, that G-d’s first creation, light , is the source of all that follows. Hence, we infer that darkness, which represents unhappiness, loneliness, illness, poverty, sadness, death, etc., - is bogus, it only exists to accommodate light. A mere shell embodying and serving the light.
The Torah continues (ibid.) , “ ... and it was evening and it was morning, one day”, emphasizing that evening precedes morning. What other nation begins the day at nightfall? The idea to perceive the night as a harbinger of day can only so closely associate with the unique nation that bears the yoke of One G-d, the Children of Israel.
Even the words in the principal Jewish prayer of Shema :
“Shema Israel, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad,” in other words, “Listen, Jewish People, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One” reveal the meaning of unity between darkness and light. Where darkness (signifying the judgment incurred upon a person, like death or illness, etc.) and light (signifying G-d’s mercy leading to a person’s joyous state) stem from One Source, G-d, the Creator. And we infer this from the names of G-d denoted in the verse mentioned above. We know that G-d has seventy-two names. And each of the names refers to a distinct way that G-d manifests Himself to us , which gives us a way to relate to Him. The name “Lord (Hashem or Yud Keh Vav Keh)” refers to the Creator when He manifests His compassion. “Our G-d (Elokeinu)” refers to the Creator when He acts as a Ruler who metes out justice. The third mention of G-d is again “Lord (Hashem or Yud Keh Vav Keh)” , which suggests that G-d is one and the same loving divinity, whether He reveals Himself to us as a G-d of compassion or as a G-d of justice. All He does comes from His love for us, although He must sometimes act in the way that seems harsh with us in order to effect justice.(Aiken, L.,The Hidden Beauty of the Shema)
Anything that ever happens to people, good, or khas veshalom (G-d forbid) - not good, is G-d's great urge for us (all of klal Israel) and helping us, to grow individually as well as a whole. [I heard a couple of wonderful quotes pertaining to this idea: "G-d loves you, please call home" or “If you feel that G-d is far away, know that He was not the one who moved”]. So He sits there waiting for us to contact him, sometimes He needs to give us a hand, but that help comes in different forms. And whatever may seem bitter, it is the best way for salvation. Like a bitter medicine that a trustworthy Doctor prescribes, and we have no choice but follow him and accept the required treatment.
There's a verse in tehilim twenty-three sang by King David:
‘ A psalm by David.
Hashem is my shepherd, I shall not lack.
In lush meadows He lays me down,
beside tranquil waters He leads me.
He restores my soul.
He leads me on paths of justice for His Name’s sake.
Though I walk in the valley overshadowed by death,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me.
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in view of my tormentors.
You anointed my head with oil, my cup overflows.
May only goodness and kindness pursue me all the days of
my life,
and I shall dwell in the House of Hashem for long days.’
“Gam ki eilech bgei tzalmavet, lo yira ra ki ata imadi, shivtecha umishantecha heima yenachamuni - Though I walk in the valley overshadowed by death, I fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23, the 4th sentence) The rod, also serves as a staff. The same stick that hits us also serves to support us whenever we need to lean on it. Also, the beginning of the same psalm (23), “Hashem Royee, lo echsar...”, or “Hashem is my shepherd, I will not lack,” describes G-d as a shepherd, who uses his staff to hit the helpless sheep to keep them from going off the right track, to keep them away from the wolves; and just like sheep feel no worry, because their shepherd sees to their every need, so should we feel content knowing that G-d will provide us with what we truly need.
In the desert , the Pillar of Fire (that gave light to enable Jews to travel at night) constantly appeared by day while the Pillar of Cloud that (protected the Jews) was always visible at night time. Daily they paired off to manifest their union. They were one because they came forth from the One Source.
The Shabbat candles also express this concept. Rabbi Shmuel E. Brog conveys in his overview, The Shabbos Candles, that darkness itself gives rise to the Shabbat candles, which are necessary in order to see. In this, they are like the Pillar of Fire , which was also required to make travel at night possible. But there is yet a deeper parallel. The Shabbat candles are a mitzvah, they are lit because of a Divine command, thus they are similar to the Pillar of Fire , which was also a Divine light.
The Pillar of Fire , which illuminated the night was invariably seen before sunset together with the Pillar of Cloud in order to demonstrate that its radiance at night was daylight in a different form. Its miraculous rays were consequently a lesser manifestation of the original all-encompassing Light of Creation. Undoubtedly, the exuberant bliss of those who beheld it is indescribable in human terms.
But the Shabbat candles are sacred; a Divine light was also unveiling the inner Radiance of Creation. For that reason, they , like the Pillar of Fire , must be lit before sunset to attest that they, too extend the light of day beyond its natural limits.
The Shabbat candles are not characteristic of any fire lit during the week, even the Havdalah, we thank Hashem for teaching us how to make the light through , which we overcome the obstacles imposed by darkness. On Erev Shabbat we thank Him for revealing that darkness itself is merely another form of light.
Since every Jewish home, as mentioned earlier, is a miniature Beit Hamikdash, the glorious epitome of the Jewish home, we need to look deeper into its structure.
Three times a year – on Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot – all Jews went to Jerusalem to celebrate the holidays during the Beit HaMikdash, which was central to the spiritual life of the Jewish people.
Our nation gathered there, together as one, to deepen both their personal and national sense of connectedness to G-d. It was a place of concentrated spiritual power and electrifying inspiration.
A centerpiece of our Temple was the Menorah which was lit daily. Since then buildings were illuminated by the natural light of the sun, windows were designed to be narrower on the outer side of the wall and wider on the inside. This design served as a type of funnel that captured the rays of the sun and dispersed the light inside the building.
Curiously, the windows in the Temple had the opposite design. They were narrow on the inside and wide on the outside. Why?
The light of the Menorah represents Torah wisdom. Shimon Apisdorf explains that the seemingly backward design of the windows signified that this wisdom was to radiate out to the entire world. More than the Temple needed the light of the sun, the world needed the enlightening wisdom of the Torah.
Another distinguished and important item, the Ark, in the Temple represented the Torah even more clearly than the Menorah. The Ark contained the tablets of the Ten Commandments, and the very first Torah scroll, written by Moshe. But the question lies, if the Ark contained the Torah, how did the Menorah also represent Torah?
Since the Torah actually has two parts : One part being the Written Torah, commonly called the Five Books of Moshe, and known to mankind as the Bible whose text is written on every Torah scroll.
The second part of the Torah known as the "Oral Torah" given at Mount Sinai to the Jews, which was studied, memorized and carefully transmitted directly from teacher to student.
Going back to the Menorah, the Ark and the Temple windows: beautiful lights shone from the Menorah represented the Oral Torah since it liberates the meaning and the wisdom contained in the Written Torah. Meanwhile, the tablets and the Torah scroll were kept in a closed Ark – because without the benefit of the Oral Torah, the Bible is a mere closed book!
The windows of the Temple were backward to signify that more than the Temple needed the light of the sun, an often darkened world needed and still needs the light of Torah.
In the book of Rut, Ruth said [to Naomi], “Don’t ask me to leave you and to stop following you, for where you go, I will go... . Your people shall be my people and your G-d, my G-d... . Thus shall Hashem do to me and even more [literally: and thus shall He increase], if anything but death[literally: for death] shall part us.(Rut 1:16-17)”
In this statement of Rut’s acceptance of Judaism, we focus on the clause: “Thus (khaf hei) shall Hashem do to me and thus (khaf hei) shall He increase”. The numerical value of the word “thus” (khaf hei) is twenty-five, and the twenty-fifth word in the Torah is ohr, “light.” Koh therefore alludes to light. Rut was saying: As a gentile, I was in the dark. But now Hashem will make light for me and increase it because I have become a member of Israel.
Similarly, the Torah says, (Shemot 10:22-23) “ There was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt..., but all the Children of Israel had light”. And Scripture says, (Ishayah 9:1) “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, the light has shined upon them”; and (Ishayah 60:1) “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of Hashem shines upon you”.(Ben Ish Chai (Em HaMelekh): Israel & the Nations: Light, p27)
Chanukah candles breaking through the night of galut (exile) provide another powerful insight to this idea.
Chanukah is about two ever present forces: darkness and light. It’s about a struggle between two world shaping ideologies: Hellenism and Judaism.
The Festival of Lights, takes place at the darkest time of the year, which represents the darkest time of our history. The time when, unfortunately, the seventy nations of the world did not understand the nature of the sacrifices in the Temple. For that reason, the Jewish People have suffered countless pogroms throughout the ages and the destruction of two Holy Temples.
It occurred in Israel during the Hellenistic oppression called galut Yavan. This third exile lasted one hundred and eighty years, and was dubbed the exile of darkness due to the fact that the Greeks made every effort to make Jews see and understand the world in a way which was alien to the Torah.
The Greeks were conquering the world, with their ideas as well as their armies, and were bringing a modern, practical, "enlightened" philosophy to the world. Resistance to this force came from where one would have least expected it. A small group of people, without military power, without weapons, went into the streets against the Greek rule, and were victorious! As the psukim 8-9 in tehilim 20 state: ”eile barechev ve’eile basusim, va’anachnu besheim Hashem Elokeinu nazkir. Heima kar’u venafalu, va’anachnu kamnu vanit’odad. -- Some with chariots, and some with horses, but we - in the Name of Hashem, our G-d - call out. They slumped and fell, but we arose and were invigorated.”
Although the Greeks did not actually destroy our Temple, they contaminated it. Chanukah celebrates the return of holiness to the Temple after the contamination of the Greeks.
It was the exile of darkness, for the reason that nothing is as dark as the enslavement of the human mind. The galut Yavan is always referred to as darkness since it took away the light of Torah.
Chanukah is about the awesome subtleness of life. It’s about how little things can make a profound difference, and it’s about discovering the soul in the flame, the soul in everyday life and the power of the Jewish soul in history.
The holiday of Chanukah is about the imperceptible human spark that enables people to reach far beyond their perceived limitations. It’s about the power in a diminutive flame to banish an enormous darkness. It’s about a tiny people that is able to overcome the most daunting of foes. The purpose of kindling the menorah is to rekindle in ourselves the light of the triumph over darkness.
There is a custom, among some people, of turning off the lights at the time of lighting the menorah on Chanukah. This emphasizes the idea of light coming forth from darkness, and holiness appearing where it is least expected.
It is customary on Shabbat , during Kiddush, to look at the candles when reciting a prayer Va’ychulu. Indeed, Va’ychulu describes how G-d completed creation; the Shabbat candles enable us see it.
The Rambam’s statement can now be better understood in the profundity that the Shabbat candles must be lit early to honor Shabbat.
By lighting candles early we testify that there is no real darkness on Shabbat and hence give a great honor to the Sacred Shabbat. Shabbat is an absolute radiance! It’s heaven! Shabbat reflects the Sublime Joy that set creation in motion, and the Infinite Bliss of its culmination.
On the passage (Eicha 3:17) “And my soul despaired of having peace,” the Talmud (Shabbat 25B) expounds, “[Because it lacked] Shabbat candles.” Rashi clarifies “ ... without light there can be no peace because they [people] will constantly stumble and be compelled to eat in the dark.”
But the question is why do Chazal, the Sages, suggest that only an absence of light on Shabbat mars the peace? According to Rashi’s explanation, it seems that an absence of light on any day would be equally disruptive.
In order to answer this, it is necessary first to define the word peace. The Hebrew word for peace, Shalom, originates from the word Shlamut, which means complete, totally integrated. In Shalom, people relate to each other in the manner that cells and limbs of the human body relate to each other – in total harmony. Harmony is the vessel that transforms material conveniences into blessings. Enjoyment is within reach, even in the physical sense, only in the presence of peace. Precisely as all the elements that compose the human organism are part of one totality, so too, people in Shalom are perfectly united in the Source of All Being.
Shimon Apisdorf in his book on Chanukah sets down an interesting perception that within the lights of the Chanukah Menorah there is a spiritual energy that is able to help us reconnect with that , which is inspiring and uplifting in life. “The dancing flames of the menorah are there to spark a sense of innovation in life.”
Each of us is considered a precious source of light, and when G-d told the Jewish people that the little lights of the Menorah are more precious to Him than the lights of all the stars [He placed] in the sky, He was telling us not to evaluate beauty and radiance of our inner lights in terms of anything else but ourselves. In the realm of the soul, in the realm of the deepest human accomplishment, there is no room for competition, yet room enough for a world full of winners- a world full of little precious lights.
To experience the oneness of Shalom, man has to first sublimate his material nature due to the fact that matter is exclusive; It’s not possible for two physical beings to occupy the same place at the same time; one necessarily excludes the other.
Scripture (Iyov 12:11) writes that Hashem invested man with all the wild characteristics of beast and then decreed that he harness and channel them until he transforms himself into a civilized, moral being. Throughout the time that Noah was in the ark, he had to give each animal its particular food at proper time. All th while in the ark he had to work on developing his character , on his capability to give and care for other beings.
There is an astounding parable about a king who had a wonderful map of the world. The map was his most treasured possession because it made possible the conquest of every land. Once, the precious map fell into the hands of his young son who unintentionally tore it to pieces. The king, speechless, verged on collapse. Seeing his father’s despairing condition, the child jumped up and cried, “Don’t worry, Father, I’ll put it all together.”
Surely so, the boy fulfilled his promise. With diligent care and effort he fitted every little piece together.
Amazed at his son’s accomplishment, the king exclaimed, “Where did you learn this secret? How were you able to possibly remember where all the pieces belong?”
“There is no big secret,” the boy replied. “I noticed a picture of a man on the back of the map. Once I put the man together, the world automatically fell into place.”
Indeed, the map of the world, and with it the map of family life, is ripped and shredded. To paste all the parts together is an impossible undertaking. All one can do is begin to work on his/her own character. Once the person mends himself, he will automatically mend everything.
The Torah’s (Iyov 5:7) precept that “Man was created to toil,” was given to Adam when he resided in Gan Eden, where all his material needs were acquired without labor. Therefore, this passage obviously means that his sole occupation was to strive for an ever greater degree of unity with the One Source of All Being. (In other words, to toil in Torah. See Targum Yonatan Bereishit 2:15).
After his sin, his obligation to achieve Divine union became extremely more difficult because Adam was forced to provide his own physical sustenance. He was diminished and made to serve that part of his being , which divorces him from the whole; he was forced to toil and invest time in that segment of his nature, which is selfish, which is limiting, which makes him arrogant and angry.
Rabbi Yeruchim Levovitz , zichrono levracha, the late world renowned mashgiach of the Mirrer Yeshiva, once said,
“Man is like a compass. Although the arrow always faces north, it can easily be pointed elsewhere. However, it will remain in place only as long as it is held; remove the finger and it quickly reverts to its original position.
“The same is true of man. His arrow, i.e., the essence of his soul, is always pointed heavenward. By virtue of his very nature, man seeks only good and reverence for G-d. It is only here, in his physical form, that his true essence is distorted by outside forces which lead him astray. Therefore, man is not required to seek new virtues he does not already possess. No, he is only called upon to refrain from doing what for him is perverted and unnatural. If only he could flee the influences which corrupt him, he would automatically turn to kedusha and to G-d.”
Unfortunately, for six days that men are instructed to work, they are still beset with this difficulty. Of course, there is a substantial difference between the righteous, who are minimally affected, and the wicked, who have become horribly deformed. Nonetheless, during the six days of toil for bread everyone is too fearful and too worried to integrate totally with others.
Perfect Shalom is attainable only to an individual who is freed of Adam’s curse; to an individual liberated from fear of want; to an individual whose body does not crave fulfillment of every desire any longer. He must be at rest; serene, tender and genial. In other words, he must return to Gan Eden.
Shabbat is this Gan Eden. Therefore, not only all manner of creative physical work is forbidden on the Holy Day, but even the necessity for it must be avoided. As Rashi states: “When Shabbat comes you should view all your work as being finished in order to free your mind of all physical concerns.” (Shemot 20:9)
Thus the first prerequisite of total Shalom is tranquility. Our sages write: “Peace is wonderful. It is the only container Hashem found to store Israel's blessings (Uktzin 3:12).” Even the most beautiful home, furnished elegantly and with every modern convenience , is worthless if it does not have tranquility.
As the passage in Mishlei(17:1) states: “Better a piece of dry bread with tranquility than a home full of sacrifices of strife.” If one eats his “dry bread” primarily to keep healthy, there can be “tranquility”, i.e., if the individual has made peace with himself, he can get along with others. But if he eats not to satisfy his own needs but to fulfill the desires and/or expectations of his neighbors, if he must feed himself to impress others, then his fine china, brand-new car, and expensive house are also inadequate. This is where the trouble begins. It does not take much to support oneself, under normal circumstances, a garment and a portion of bread suffice. When one however, must dress and eat to excite others, then there are no limits.
Tranquility enables to let go of the anxiety, the conceit, and the greed that disrupts it .
However, total Shalom requires one other condition which is the light. Since light stimulates the intellect to differentiate and to perceive the uniqueness of each and every being, the Talmud (ibid.) for that reason refers to it as Shalom. To treasure these differences is the sign of Shalom.
Shlamut, the unqualified affirmation of humility, entails diversity to the point of inequality. In Shalom, each individual perceives the unique excellence that all others possess to the extent that he views everyone as greater than himself (see Igeret haRamban). This is possible because he understands the oneness that unites all Jews, therefore, their excellence is really his excellence.
Darkness is called erev in the lashon hakodesh (Holy Tongue), because it mixes (orav) things together and destroys diversity. Darkness is the terrific equalizer that turns distinctiveness into nothingness.
On the other hand, light is known as boker fore the reason that it gives rise to beekur, the careful examination that discovers value everywhere.
To contemplate further (from Rabbi Shraga Simmons) , the Jews in Egypt had sunk to the forty-ninth level of spiritual impurity, and only when they hit rock-bottom did they turn to G-d and cry out. It was at that moment that they were redeemed. Redemption can be as quick as the blink of an eye. Our Egyptian experience began with Yoseph sitting in the dungeon prison -- and rising to the position of prime minister in the span of one day! When we see the evil being set to an end, the Egyptians drowning at the Sea, we are grateful to the One who arranged the turnaround! G-d delivers us from slavery unto freedom. The Seder is the only one of the six-hundred and thirteen mitzvot that is performed specifically at night, for on Passover, we turn the darkness into light.
The night before Passover, at the beginning of the night of the fourteenth of Nissan, we search for chametz by the light of a candle immediately after stars emerge. Since chametz alludes to the yetzer hara (evil inclination) , and the candle signifies the mitzvot, as it says: “For a commandment is a candle and the Torah is light” — through the strength of the mitzvot, one will be able to eradicate evil within him and thus uncover his greatness.
Also, by looking at a candle, we can learn how to overcome the yetzer hara and how to root out the chametz from within us. While the candle burns, it sheds light around it. But when it is extinguished, it becomes completely dark. Not only this, but its wick is then left as black as ashes, leaving dirt on the hands of whoever touches it. So too, a man should realize that as long as he is alive, he can be successful and wealthy, and it is still within his power to add to his record more mitzvot and good deeds. However, once his “candle” has been extinguished, and he passes from this world, his opportunity to perform mitzvot and good deeds is dark as the night (Ben Ish Chayil, Section 4, 160)
People in Shalom cannot possibly intrude upon each other because they clearly see the Divine beauty of every being. Unbound by want, they are free to be themselves and free to esteem others.
So, to the extent that the individual liberates himself from the pursuit of selfish, egotistical, material needs (Shabbat rest) he obtains an open mind, broad enough and sharp enough to discern (by the light of the candles) the sublime qualities that distinguish each and every family member, guest, and even each object.
Anyone who has ever experienced the Kedusha of Shabbat can testify that the harmony that is present at the Shabbat table cannot be duplicated on a regular weekday. At other times light can minimize friction, but on Shabbat it generates Gan Eden.
The intensity of union manifest in Kiddush and the HaMotzee, when all are gathered become one with the reciter, when Halachically his lips become their lips, visibly gives emphasis on the uniqueness of even the youngest child who must cooperate in silence for the Kiddush to proceed. And when it is over, he also must partake of the wine and challah together with all present.
Oneness gives rise to individuality! To penetrate this knowledge is to try the indescribable rapture of Oneg Shabbat. To attain it we light Shabbat candles!
To experience Oneg Shabbat – the Heavenly Oneness, the ecstasy of Gan Eden – is a Divine gift unobtainable by human effort alone. It is bestowed by the Almighty as a reward for Shalom Bayit.
Shalom Bayit is based on the principle that union is the essence of life. If union is central then man is eternal; if, khas veshalom, Heaven forbid, it isn’t, man is no more than a piece of clay.
The knowledge of this is precious to all who comprehend that a man/woman without a spouse is nothing but a semi-being. As Rabbi Eliezer said, “He who has no wife is not called ‘Adam’ (a man)” (Yevamot 63). Why is that? Man is incomplete and as long as he is alone man is blemished because he cannot fulfill his goal. The Zohar explains that the Shechina cannot rest on something that is not perfect, for something that is imperfect is incomplete.
Marriage is a chance for perfection since it’s said:“Male and female He created them, and called them ‘Adam’ ” (Bereishit 5:2). The Vilna Gaon explains (Vilna Gaon, Mishlei 9:10) this strange structure of the pasuk (sentence) that because Hashem wanted the woman to be a helpmate to the man, He created them as one and then divided them – only if the woman is part of her mate will she be able to truly help him. Alone, neither of them is complete. Both halves are needed to create one whole. Completeness comes when these two halves join together into one unit; when a husband and a wife complement each other; when two help each other, and give to each other. The love and harmony between them becomes greater than that between people in any other relationship. They’re like one body. And when these two halves are joined, bringing completeness, the Shechina becomes a partner with with them.
Shalom Bayit exists only in families which despise the concept that marriage is a partnership of convenience. Marriage means union, oneness. It means courtesy, respect and consideration. So, instead, they perceive it as a Divine creation , which transforms two partial-beings into one whole entity. “And they shall be one being (basar echad)” (Bereishit 2:24). Two total strangers, absolutely opposite in character and temperament – a male and a female – unite making a home.
They comprehend wedlock (the union of ish with his yud and isha with her hay) as a living real-life manifestation of the Yud and the Hay that spell the Name with , which Hashem creates the world. They clearly see their “One Soul” in the “One Flesh” of each and every child. Their kedusha grows in union with their family. In turn, the glory of Hashem is more obvious because there is a greater sphere of Shalom – the primary Name of G-d.
In lashon hakodesh, the word “father” is spelled with the first two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, alef and bet. This implies that he must lead and set the family’s pace. On the other hand, the word “mother” is spelled with alef and mem, the first and middle letters. This indicates that she must unify the family as the center unifies the whole. Father’s task is responsibility and mother’s task, devotion.
Shalom Bayit accordingly sets roles for man and for woman. It requires a husband who is creative, unafraid of toil, dedicated to enhancing the Divine nature of his family and the world. A husband fulfills his first obligation to intensify his own G-dliness by loving his wife as he loves himself, and by honoring her more than he honors himself.
The Rambam (Hilchot Ishut, Chap.15: 19, 20) puts it this way: “...The husband must honor his wife more than he does his own person and he must love her as he loves himself; he must add to her comforts according to his means; he may not be domineering, but must speak softly; he may not appear [to her] depressed or irate.” Without her he has no continuity; no strength to conquer the world; and no real self.
In turn, Shalom Bayit requires a wife who is dedicated to loving kindness; to building a home , which is a haven of comfort and inspiration for her husband and her children. A wife fulfills her first obligation to make herself Divine by uniting with her husband in fulfilling his wishes as she would a monarch’s .
Rambam continues: “...The wife must honor her husband in extreme measure and revere him; everything she does must be in accord with his wishes; he should be as a king in her eyes; she should walk in the desires of his heart and reject whatever he despises.” This oneness make her embodiment of Shechinah. Without him she is void of Torah. Without him she is mortal.
“This is the way Jewish daughters, and Jewish sons, those who are sacred and eternal, act in marriage. In this way their life together will be beautiful and exalted.”(ibid.)
We see all this manifested in the act of lighting Shabbat candles. The completeness Shalom of Shabbat does not appear only with the lighting of candles, but is brought in by the attitude of the husband and wife. As we see in the following example of Rabbi Brog. First, the husband honors his wife by placing the candles on the table and preparing them to be lit. Afterwards, in a voice filled with love he gently reminds her to light them.
Gladly she hurries to do his bidding and to usher in the Shabbat. Because she perpetuates the home, she was chosen to be the hostess to greet the Divine Guest who weekly visits their earthly abode.
As she prepares to light the candles, she meditates: “I am His agent. This makes us One. Now I have the strength to kindle the only light capable of absorbing darkness – the Divine light of Oneness, the Shabbat lights.”
She kindles them and instantly Oneness appears before her eyes.
“True, I see two candles, even two flames – but there is only one light! No longer will our two distinct bodies blind us to the fact that my husband and I are one. No longer will our physical differences come between us. Indeed, how this One light urges me to focus on the Divine Image that all men possess.”
Although both men and women are obligated to light candles (Shulchan Arukh 263:2), the women of the household light on behalf of the family. Because their principle work is inside the home, and they are primarily responsible for its care, women were chosen to perform this mitzvah (Shulchan Arukh 263:3). They were also chosen because lighting candles rectifies Chava’s sin, which caused “the light of the world” to be extinguished (Mishnah Berurah 263:12). This refers to the tradition that death came to the world as a result of Adam’s sin.
We are well acquainted with the story. G-d commanded man saying, 'Of all trees of the Garden you shall eat. And from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil you will not eat, for on the day you eat from it you will surely die.' (Bereishit 2:16-17) Man’s body is earth as verse follows ”And G-d made man, dust from ground” (Bereishit 2:7). A man’s body consists of the most simple element of Earth. Hence we infer, he is simple. And he had to be clearly told that if he eats what is forbidden, he will die.
Chava , blinded listened to the seductive and cunning snake, which is also compared to our Evil inclination that incited her. The tireless yetzer hara is always ready to attack the unsuspecting; As it is said, “The evil one is on watch for the righteous and seeks to destroy him”(Tehilim 37:32).
Her mind was dulled and “she took of the fruit and ate ... . And she gave some to her husband.” Sin is contageous. Just as a ‘mitzva goreret mitzva’, a good deed triggers another (opportunity for a) good deed. Same is,unfortunately, true for the opposite, ‘aveira goreret aveira’, a bad deed, khas veshalom, follows another bad deed. Immediately after, they gained their consciences , they awakened. They regretted and “Adam and his wife hid from G-d” – they were disturbed.
According to commentators, through eating of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, the tendency to do evil was internalized within the human psyche. Before the sin, man and woman had an intellectual choice between good and evil, but evil was outside of the body, not an inner pull or an emotional desire.
Previously, a person's soul expressed itself through its body. Body and soul were in concordance with each other. For instance, whenever the soul wanted to pray to G-d, the body rose early and prayed. Whenever the soul wanted to study and grow most effectively, the body ate healthy foods and took care of itself to provide the necessary fuel and energy for the demanding task.
Now, the body is no longer in the service of the soul, it’s no longer in a rush to do its bidding. When a soul wants to pray, a body groans, turns over and shuts off the alarm clock. When the soul strives to perfect itself, the body craves to eat chocolate cake, watch television and lie on the beach. Now, not only is the body not a reflection of the soul, but they are now working at cross-purposes.
Chava and Adam ate from the tree, and although death was not the immediate result of their transgression, they were driven from Paradise and became mortal. While wrongdoing may seem innocent, one quite often has to pay up the price with interest for the consequences incurred.
Adam is referred to as “the light of the world”; by bringing him to sin, Chava caused this “light” to be extinguished. By fulfilling the mitzvah of lighting Shabbat candles, a woman helps to rectify this sin. Husbands help participate in the mitzvah by preparing the wicks and singeing them (Ibid.)
Since we have discussed earlier that darkness is bogus and thus conclude that there is no absolute evil. We, therefore derive a lesson that destruction (brought by sin, for example: Adam and Chava) cannot be the end. We learn from our imahot, Mothers, who built an eternal nation from hopeless circumstances.
Hashem made our Mothers barren. Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel and Leah were all unable to have children by nature. And the reason brought by our Sages is that it is because G-d longed to hear their prayers.(Yevamot 62)
Prayer alone made them fertile and brought our nation into being. Thus, even devastation and barrenness, is, nevertheless, beneficial and must bring us closer to G-d. That is the basis of our existance.
We are taught that “all generations are redeemed only in the merit of the righteous women, the nashim tzidkaniot, of each generation.”(Midrash Zuta, Rut 4:11)
In all generations, Jewish women have had a remarkable share in the redemption and the salvation of their people. As it says, “In every place where the men broke the wall, the women fenced and repaired it.”(Midrash Tanchuma, parshat Pinchas) When the men made the Golden Calf, the women refused to contribute their gold and jewelry. Later, when the spies returned and spoke disparagingly about Eretz Israel, saying it was a land that destroys its people, the daughters of Zelofchad came to Moshe and said, “ we want an inheritance in Eretz Israel.”
In Egypt, the midwives Shifrah and Puah rescued and cared for the newborn infants, although Pharaoh could have had them killed for disobeying his command. Because they feared Hashem more than fresh-and-blood king, they were rewarded with the monarchy and priesthood for their descendants.
All women in Egypt were faced with terrible decrees. Their husbands worked as slave laborers. Men would be so worn out they never even came home - they just fell down in the field as they worked, slept a little, were beaten, and got up to work again, too tired after a day of slave labor to be involved with their wives. When women went to the well to draw water, they would search for small fish , which they then cooked into a meal for their husbands. To ensure the future of the Jewish people, the women beautified themselves for their husbands and used the mirrors to allure them.
The mirrors that conventionally would characterize a physical action was raised to represent something spiritual, pure, and hopeful; they brought continuity.
The same mirrors that were used by the women in Egypt to adorn themselves to entice their husbands were later used in the desert to construct a wash basin for the Mishkan, the portable Sanctuary (Shemot 38:8). It is by the means of this basin that the priests purify their hands and feet in preparation for performing the holy service symbolizing the pure intentions of those righteous women. Rabbi Shimshon Rafael Hirsch (20th century Germany) explains that: The washing symbolizes, the moral "keeping holy" of one's actions and efforts.
And Rashi adds, "G-d said to Moshe, 'Take those mirrors. They are the dearest to Me of all, for with these mirrors the women brought the Jewish people into being...'" (Rashi 38:8).
According to Judaism, women, share a special trait called binah, a deep understanding. In the Torah, women are exemplified as having a rich inner world, endowed with a unique power to influence people's character; they are described as having insight and perception beyond logic, external facts and superficial facades.
At the time when Bilaam wanted to curse Jewish people, he noticed that the doorways to their tents did not face opposite each other, and no one could look into his neighbor’s house. Even though there were three million people in tents, not even one tent faced the doorway of the other. So great is the modesty of the Jewish people that the blessing Bilaam gave became famous: “Ma tovu ohalecha, Yaakov...- How good are your dwelling places, your tents...”(Rashi, Bamidbar 24:5)
Chafetz Chaim says that one of the reasons that Hashem watches and guards over the Jewish people is because of modesty (Dvarim 23:15). Our sages tell us that the first Beit HaMikdash was destroyed because of three sins: bloodshed, adultery, and idolatry (Yoma 9b). They explain that the “Adultery” referred to here was lack of tzniut, modesty.
The modest behavior of a Jewish woman has a tremendous power in controlling her own personal destiny as well as the destiny of the Jewish people.
Our Sages said: “ All flour(kemach) is flour (i.e. most flour is mixed with coarse bran, like the personal motives mixed into most people’s behavior), but Kimchit’s flour is finely sifted (i.e. her actions are done purely for the sake of Heaven).” To Kimchit, the Sages applied the verse (Tehilim 45:14), “All the honor of the king’s daughter remains within; she will be adorned with squares of gold.(Vaikra Rabba 20:11)”
Kimchis who’s been a paragon of modesty had seven sons. Each one, at one time or another served as a High Priest. The remarkable fact here is that this came about without any of her sons dying in order for this to happen. In every case, there was a special reason why the brother currently serving as High Priest needed a temporary replacement. Since in Judaism nothing just “happens” in life, all is Divine Providence, the Sages went to ask Kimchis in what merit she had the priveledge of seeing each of her seven sons serve as a High Priest. Her answer became familiar to all: “The walls od my house have never seen the hair of my head”(Yerushalmi, Yoma 1:1).
The Zohar says that a woman who is very particular with covering her hair, allowing no hair to show, is promised that her children will be endowed with graciousness and will be among the most important people of their generation. Also, she is promised that her children will be like an olive tree, which stands above all trees for its leaves never fall and always stay green. In the same way the children of a modest woman will be more important than all other people in the world, and her husband will be granted blessings from above and below: riches, children and grandchildren, and will be blessed from Zion and merit to see the good of Yerushalayim and peace.
The hidden power of the jewish home is the woman’s ability to create and preserve holiness within it. And modesty is her crown, revealing the woman’s true beauty. The saying that a princess’s greatest honor is within, and is more noteworthy than her golden embroidered garments – means that a modest woman is worthy of producing high priests who are clothed in gold embroidered garments. A princess wears her precious jeweled crown, no matter how heavy or uncomfortable it is because she recognizes its great value. She knows what it’s worth.
A daughter of the King of all kings, a Jewish woman bears in mind that extent of her modest behavior will cause the greater possibility of having sons who are Torah scholars who will enlighten the world with their Torah and righteousness. She recognizes the certainty that modesty is a guarantee of holy, righteous children(Chafetz Chaim, Mishnah Berurah1).
In the merit of the righteous women, the Children of Israel were redeemed from Egypt. They converted the darkness of Pharaoh into the Light of Deliverance and Torah.
Every week, the daughters of those righteous women carry on the tradition of lighting the hallowed candles. The Shabbat candles signify the eternal light shining through the dark to show hope and eternity of the Jewish nation. Their faithful devotion to the kindling of this Divine Light of Union will soon, certainly, transform the darkness of Exile, into the Eternal Light of Moshiach(Based on the Maharal). Amen.
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