Seeing Is Enjoying

Light is the physical world’s most ethereal phenomenon. Yet light enhances our physical lives even as it is the ultimate metaphor for spirituality.

Lighting Shabbos Candles

Lighting candles before Shabbos is one of the practices instituted by the rabbis. But even rabbinical enactments, we are taught, are hinted in the Torah. One of the many places where the Torah alludes to this very special Mitzvah is in this week’s Torah portion.

Moses recounts the experiences the Jews had in the desert. When describing the Manna that fell miraculously from heaven, the Torah states:

“Who fed you Manna in the desert… in order to afflict you.”

The Midrash comments that from this verse we can derive the obligation to light the Shabbos candles!

At first glance, there seems to be no relationship between eating of the Manna in the desert and the need to light candles before the onset of the Shabbos. How does the Midrash connect these two matters?

Who Afflicted You

To shed some light (pun intended) on this enigmatic Midrash, we must understand the Biblical verse itself. The obvious question that arises here is how can living off the Manna be described as a form of affliction? Particularly, considering what our sages tell us that when eating the Manna they would experience any taste that they desired. It was the ultimate gourmet experience!

The Talmud (Yoma 74b) provides two answers to this question.

“One cannot compare one who has bread in his basket to the one who does not have bread in his basket.”

Rashi explains that this means that one, who is worried about the source of his food for the next day, does not fully enjoy his food. The anxiety that goes along with uncertainty detracts from the pleasure one would have experienced otherwise The second answer is:

“One cannot compare the one who sees what he eats to the one who does not see what he eats.”

Rashi explains that notwithstanding the fact that when they ate the Manna, they could experience any taste that they chose, they could not see the food that they tasted and were denied the true pleasure that comes from eating gourmet food.

In light (pun intended) of the foregoing Talmudic explanation we can now resolve the riddle cited above: How does the Midrash derives the obligation to light Shabbos candles from the Torah’s description of the Manna as a form of affliction?

Purpose for Shabbos Candles

One of the reasons for lighting Shabbos candles is to enhance the joy and pleasure of Shabbos. If we did not have light while eating our Shabbos meal, we would not fully appreciate the taste of the food. Our Oneg Shabbos-joy of the Shabbos would be compromised because of the foregoing principle that is derived from the Torah’s description of Manna as a form of affliction, that “one cannot compare the one who sees what he eats to the one who cannot see what he eats.”

Hence the Torah’s description of Manna as

affliction underscores the importance of illuminating our homes while attempting to enjoy our Shabbos repast.

Peace and Honor

In addition to the enhancement of Shabbos joy, there are two other reasons cited for lighting the Shabbos candles.

Lighting candles is our way of according honor to the Shabbos.

Light also ensures Shalom Bayit-peace in the home. Without light, people might “stumble over wood or stone,” thereby disrupting the tranquil and serene atmosphere of the Shabbos.

Hence the three reason for Shabbos candles are: delight, honor and peace.

Foretaste

Our sages have also taught that the Shabbos candles are a foretaste of the light that we will experience in the future Messianic Era.

Life now in exile is compared to night and darkness, while the Era that will be ushered in by Moshiach is compared to light and day.

By lighting the Shabbos candles before the Shabbos we are given the opportunity to relish some of the features that will become standard fare for the future Age of Redemption.

Three Distinctions

There are three salient distinctions between the present era of exile and the future Era of Redemption that parallel the three reasons for lighting the Shabbos candles: Joy, honor and peace.

Firstly, we now live in an age when we cannot fully appreciate and enjoy even the good things in life. The uncertainty about the future and other factors, make it hard for us to see the good that exists. It is much easier for us to see the negatives that beset us than the good. The Age of Redemption is an Age when we will be able to see clearly and therefore fully appreciate the good that we have.

Secondly, during the present day and age, we do not fully appreciate the Divine character of everything. G-d is hidden and His presence eludes us most of the time. We cannot therefore sufficiently accord G-d the recognition and honor He deserves.

When we light the candles to honor the Shabbos it is acknowledgement that the Shabbos is a holy day permeated with the presence of G-d. Similarly, during the Messianic Age we will gain an awareness of G-d whose presence will no longer be concealed as it is now, during the period of exile.

A third function of living in exile is that there are all sorts of obstacles that disrupt the state of peace between us and G-d. “Stumbling over wood and stone” are metaphors for the worshipping of materialism — a modern form of idolatry — that pervades our society.

By lighting the Shabbos candles we usher in a day that portends the removal of the obstacles that create disharmony between G- d and the Jewish people, and by extension, the entire world. In the future Shabbosexistence of the world we will be able to clearly see and avoid those things which could cause us to stumble. This, in turn, will enable us to see G-d and each other more clearly and will enhance the spirit of peace and love between one another and between ourselves and our G-d.

One way of hastening that age is by performing the Mitzvah of lighting Shabbos and Holiday candles.

From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Ekev by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.