We usher in the Sabbath and Festivals by kindling lights. Our aim is to unite the practical benefits of light with its spiritual component.
We who have lost our sense and our senses – our touch, our smell, our vision of who we are; we who frantically force and press all things, without rest for body or spirit, hurting our earth and injuring ourselves: we call a halt.
We want to rest. We need to rest and allow the earth to rest. We need to reflect and to rediscover the mystery that lives in us, that is the ground of every unique expression of life, the source of the fascination that calls all things to communion.
We declare a Sabbath, a space of quiet: for simple being and letting be; for recovering the great, forgotten truths; for learning how to live again.
May the brightness of these candles banish all gloom, anxiety, and care from my heart and from the hearts of my loved ones.
May this Shabbat festival bring us peace and serenity, joy and rest. Keep aglow within us, O God, the spirit of gratitude for Your many blessings, so that we may know the sweet taste of contentment and the rich harvest of sharing.
Kindle in our home and temple a deeper love for one another, for our people, and for all Your children.
Amen
The quoted bit in the middle is from “Only One Earth,” a United Nations Environment Programme publication for “Environmental Sabbath/Earth Rest Day,” June 1990; UN Environment Programme, DC2-803 United Nations, New York, NY 10017.
The full text was given to me by a colleague on a Taglit-birthright israel program as a reading before lighting Friday night candles. I am looking at different texts as I create my own traditions for my home. Please comment with any additional texts, links or traditions you find or practice.
Links
Traditional Candle Lighting Blessing in Song with text
Shabbat Blessings on the Union for Reform Judaism Site (sound files)
Candle Lighting Blessing in Feminine and Masculine God/dess forms
How to Light Shabbat Candles Flash Presentation
Ladino Women’s Prayer for before candlelighting with translation
Yiddish Prayer in translation for before candllelighting
Traditional Yehi Ratzon prayer for after candlelighting FAQ on Shabbat blessings and rituals
Find out Candle Lighting Times and print out Jewish Calendars at HebCal
Find out candle lighting times in additional cities all over the world on the Chabad website
