In the darkening sky, the first, still quite dim stars are about to shyly light up. In Jewish homes, prepared in advance for this exciting moment of meeting the Sabbath, two candles are about to be lit, separating the Sabbath from the rest of the days by a small but very warm flame. At this time, something special happens in every Jewish heart, something that is connected for hundreds and thousands of years with those commandments so sincerely presented to beloved children by a loving Father.
Stars slowly fill the deep blue sky, bringing new colors to it, shimmering in the middle of the deepening night.
They seem to remind everyone who is ready to take their eyes off the ground and lift their eyes up – it will take a little more time, and the bright sun will rise in the sky, illuminating the world with the light of life, giving so much needed warmth to all living things. Scattering of stars, like scattering of sparks and small embers from a fire – houses in which Shabbat candles are lit all over the world, somewhere earlier, somewhere later. Somewhere more expensive, but somewhere the cheapest and simplest.
The sparks that are scattered on the ground, do not give as much warmth as they could, if someone would carefully gathered them together.
Gather embers, shining with a thin red streak of fire, gather them together – you become the wind, renew them with your breath, bring new life into their slow extinction – and they will ignite again, and they will be able to set into fire the new ones, those that have already been completely extinguished. Those that, it seemed, would never be able to burn or shine again will share warmth to others.
Candles that are lit on Shabbat, lights that, regardless of which continents and in which countries they are, are combined into one common fire on Saturday evening, the Sabbath erev that separates the past sixth weekday from the incoming festive seventh. Sanctifying Shabbat. Separating the festive from the everyday. In every candle flame is a heart that is waiting for Saturday, waiting for her, as the ancestors waited, waiting to open towards the Almighty, to receive light and warmth, without which it is difficult to live through the rest of the week.
And so week after week, month after month, year after year, century after century …
Stars are sparks, sparks are candles, candles are hearts that await the holy, separated and special Shalom of the shabat.
How good it is to take your eyes off the earth, from the hustle and bustle and everyday life, from work and study, from what takes up this whole life. Tear your eyes off the ground, and look up to Heaven, where our Father so carefully placed the stars, resembling a scattering of sparks and small, barely burning, coals.
Sparks are like candles that can be lit so that with their light they separate light from darkness, weekdays from weekends. How important it is to prepare the heart so that it opens on Shabbat, accepting the Almighty and His shalom. So that already here on earth, entering the joy and shalom of the Sabbath, everyone could see the splendor that awaits them in the House of the Father.
Lift your gaze to Heaven. Light the candles. Say from your heart – Shabbat Shalom.
Source: https://ieshua.org/zvezdy-iskry-i-svechi-shalom-shabbata.htm
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