Welcome to FridayLight

The sacred spirit of Shabbat is often referred to as the “Shabbat Queen.” The Shabbat Queen is symbolic of the feminine aspect of the Divine, the “Shechina”, G-d ’s dwelling presence.

As a Jewish woman welcomes the Shabbat on Friday night, she creates a sacred space within her home for the Infinite Light of G-d, and the Shabbat Queen enters.

As you ignite your Shabbat flame tonight, focus on the sacred space you are creating in your home, and try to make sure there’s a matching place inside your heart. When the Shabbat Queen arrives- you want to leave all doors open! Enjoy the visit.

After igniting your Shabbat flame tonight and before reciting the blessing, fulfill the age old custom of ushering in the light of Shabbat by waving your hands three times around the flames.  And then, after this painful week in which we have witnessed the atrocities that human hands can accomplish, focus on the holiness that hands can also bring into our world.
 

Hands can transform an abstract light into a physical act of kindness. Hands can express love, and reach out to a soul in need. Hands can usher in the light of Shabbat. As you do so tonight, concentrate on the many forms of light your hands will bring into this world in your lifetime.
 

Shabbat Shalom.

As you ignite your Shabbat flame tonight, think about this:

No matter how many times before, you have experienced light, in order to kindle this particular flame, you needed to acquire new material; wax, or oil, and a wick. You need to once again kindle the flame through a source of light. So it is with love, with joy, with anything Divine about life – you need to keep on working, keep on putting forth new effort - to keep the flame burning.

Shabbat Shalom!

Our Sages taught: “The flame of G-d is the human soul.”

What is the mystical connection between a flame and a soul?

The answer lies within the natural attributes of the flame.

A flame is always reaching higher, to the source of all fire - a substance that surrounds this earth. Were the flame to accomplish its goal; namely, to leave its wick to cleave to its source… it would lose its very identity as a flame. It would no longer exist as a separate being.

The soul’s yearning is akin to this yearning of the flame. The soul desires to cleave to her Source in the Divine, shed her body and material existance- and be one with The Holy One, blessed be He.

However, Kabbalah teaches that the Divine will is that we channel this yearning to affect the way we live our lives on this physical plane - and create this Oneness within the most materialistic parts of our daily lives.

Shabbat is often referred to in the holy texts as “Shabbat Kodesh,” “The Holy Shabbat.” As you kindle your flame tonight, focus on what it means to be holy. The Hebrew word Kodesh – holy - also means separate.  The Sages teach us that this word offers guidance to the very root of spiritual growth. In order to be holy, to unite with the Infinite Light, one must first separate oneself from the mundane, the coarse, the earthly part of one’s being. Tonight, as you meditate on bringing new holiness and light into your life - think about taking out the trash first.

The Zohar teaches that on Shabbat, all the spiritual and physical worlds return to their source in the Divine Oneness. As you ignite your Shabbat flame tonight, envision yourself joining all of creation on a journey of return…  Returning to your essence, to the very core of your being. Returning to the light that is your own - that is awaiting your discovery. Returning to where you belong.

Don’t worry - you won’t have to leave this place within after prayer: you can take it to go - it’s yours for keeps!

The flame is like me and you: spiritual beings trapped in a material world.