![]() The legal discussions make it clear that, in order to fulfill the commandment, the Hanukkah lights must be burning so that others can see them outside the house and, optimally, at a time when others could see them - that is when people are going home and not after they are already ensconced in their homes.Īs boundary markers, the Shabbat candles signal that a period of intense Jewish sacred time is approaching. Optimally, the Hanukkah candles are lit outside the door, but also in a window. Hanukkah candles are lit facing the street. The second distinction between Shabbat and Hanukkah candles is that the former are lit inside the house, often on the table at which we eat. We use the shamash since we are not allowed to make use of the lights even for the purpose of lighting another candle. For this reason we do not use one Hanukkah light to kindle another. On the other hand, the whole purpose of the Shabbat candles is to provide light so that, in the days before electricity, people would not be tripping over each other and could enjoy their Shabbat meals even at night. We add a candle to our menorahs (the so-called shamash or helper candle) so that if we need to use the light of the menorah, we will be using the light of a non-Hanukkah candle, the helper candle. ![]() The baseline distinction between Hanukkah candles and Shabbat candles is that Hanukkah candles cannot be used for anything, while Shabbat candles are specifically to be used. This gives us an opportunity to think about the meaning of the light and lighting of Hanukkah candles on the background of the light and lighting of Shabbat candles. Each year there is at least one and sometimes two Shabbatot that coincide with Hanukkah. One of the ways that we signal to ourselves the beginning and end of that space and time is by candle lighting before and after. Once the boundaries are laid down, all activities, prosaic or special, profane or sacred are Shabbat activities. It is bounded so that everything that happens within those boundaries of time and especially space is Shabbat. On one side was Shabbat (on which, besides non-TV watching, there were joyous meals with friends and davening with our community), on the other was the week and TV. (Nowadays they would have to rhyme Eliyahu hanavi with "" or "internet," which would and does present other challenges.) This boundary was clear and non-permeable. MY MENORAH CANDLES AS SEEN FROM OUTSIDE MY WINDOW TV(May he come to us quickly with the messiah son of David)įor them the marker between Shabbat and the weekday at that moment was that when we finished the havdalah, literally the differentiation, they would be able to watch TV again. ![]() (Elijah the prophet, Elijah the Tishbite, Elijah of Gilead)īimherah yavo eleinu im mashiach ben David After we had made the blessings over the spices, the candles and the wine we would sing:Įliyahu hanavi, Eliyahu hatishbi, Eliyahu hagiladi. When my kids were younger, they used to have their own version of the song that is traditionally sung during the havdalah ceremony at the end of Shabbat. ![]()
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