Shabbat Set for Women

In every Jewish home, the woman is central to the family's’ spiritual life.  On Shabbat, it is the woman, the wife, the mother who we honor and thank for her role in maintaining the family and our age long traditions.

This set contains the essential elements that will be used by her to welcome in the Shabbat and reaffirm her faith. The set includes:  A pair of candlesticks, a head covering, a tallit and a prayer book of Shabbat Blessings and a guide to the Shabbat ceremony.

Shabbat is the Jewish Day of Rest, one of the best known of all Jewish observances. It begins at sundown on Friday night with the lighting of two Shabbat candles and ends on Saturday night at one hour past sunset. The candle lighting ceremony ushers in the serenity of Shabbat, a day of peace and rest when one can set aside weekday concerns and share a special time with G-d, family and friends.

The first woman to light Shabbat candles was our Matriarch Sarah. According to Jewish tradition, Sarah would light the Shabbat candles on the eve of the Shabbat, in the tent she shared with Abraham, and the candles would miraculously burn from one Friday to the next. Thus the pleasant sight of Sarah's candles greeted the many guests that visited Abraham and Sarah's tent throughout the week.

When Sarah passed away, the flames on her Shabbat candles were extinguished. A few years later, when Isaac saw that the Shabbat candles of his prospective wife, Rebecca, had the same miraculous ability to continue burning throughout the week, he understood that she was Sarah's rightful successor, and he wed her happily.

Our Sages command the lighting of Shabbat and holiday candles for several reasons:

Honoring the Day: We add light in the home to welcome and honor the Shabbat Queen.

Peace in the Home: Shabbat and holidays are intended to be a peaceful oasis in our chaotic lives. We illuminate our home so that we should not stumble in the darkness, something which would have a decidedly un-peaceful effect.

Pleasure: To fully enjoy the Shabbat delicacies, one must be able to see the food — this requires a well-lit room.

Until marriage, women and girls light one candle. After marriage, women light (at least) two candles. Some add an additional candle for each child. Light the candles eighteen minutes before sunset and under no circumstances after sunset!