Lighting The Shabbat Candles

No-where in the Torah are we commanded to light the Shabbat candles.
 The traditional prayer that can be heard in any Jewish home on the Shabbat will probably sound like this:

'Blessed are you, Adonai
our God, King of the Universe
Who sanctifies us
with His commandments
and commanded us to kindle
the lights of Shabbat'.

 The lighting of the Shabbat candles is not a commandment but more of a tradition. We need to realise that not all tradition is bad ... and yes, Yeshua did come against the traditions of man ... the traditions that violated or were/are held in greater regard than YHVH's Torah. Some traditions how-ever can help us to understand something in a deeper way, to help us understand the 'holiness - setting apart' of an activity or commandment we may take upon ourselves to keep. For me ... this is what the lighting of the Shabbat candles does. It is a beautiful time of the week ... and when the candles are lit it fills the room and home with a beautiful reminder of what the next 24 hrs is all about. There is nothing quite as beautiful as the darkened room being lit up by the flame of the candles ... which also serves to remind us that we are meant to be lights in this ever darkening world ... lights that burn with the life of YHVH'S Torah :o)

Maybe we can change the tradition a bit :o) .... and as we light the Shabbat candles we can pray...

'Blessed are You, Adonai
our God, King of the Universe
Who sanctified us
with His commandments
and commanded us to sanctify
the Shabbat day'.

With much Blessing