Bentching licht, kindling the Holy Lights before Shabbos, brings a healing into the world. The Holy One, blessed be He gave to our holy mothers and sisters the mitzvah of bringing the light of Shabbos into the home and community. Each week as the wicks are carefully prepared the anticipation of Shabbos kodesh (the Holy Sabbath) spreads throughout the house. Such little lights truly make a difference. You may ask, “Isn’t Shabbos itself such a great light? Isn’t Shabbos, as the Talmud says, a torch? Why do you need a little candle?” But you see, you are asking with the mind of six days of the week. Shabbos is indeed a great light, but the little candle, the little fire is so precious, so precious before G-d.

When our women and girls kindle lights, at that one moment, there’s no wall between them and the Holy One, blessed be He. There is no wall between them and their husbands, brothers and their children. There is no wall between them and all of the people. There is no wall between them and the whole world. What a holy moment….

You know, sadly enough, today we’re living in a different world. Sadly enough, so many marriages break up, so many hearts are broken, so many windows are just knocked out. Not so long ago this hardly ever happened.

One day the holy rabbi was told that the wife of one of his students had moved back to her parents. He was so heartbroken, he called the woman and this is what he said, “I want you to know, your husband loves you so much. He is up all night in the synagogue, reciting the Psalms and praying that you should come back to him, because he loves you so much. So I’m begging you, please, please, please, go back to your husband who loves you.

The young woman with a tear in her eye answered, “Rabbi, holy rabbi, let it be clear to you, I didn’t leave my husband because I don’t love him. I love him so much it causes be so much pain to be away from him. Sadly, the Holy One, blessed be He didn’t bless us yet with children, and a house without children is more destroyed than the Holy Temple. A house without laughter, without crying of children, is so lonely, so empty. I couldn’t bare it anymore, so I went back to my parents’ home. Holy rabbi if you want me to go back to my husband, bless me with children.” She was a very clever woman, so added said, “Holy rabbi, if you bless me with children, bless me to have a son like you.”

The holy rabbi just smiled and he said to her, “I’ll be so happy to bless you to have a son like me, but you have to promise me something: If you will be a mother like my mother, then you will have children like me.”

My mother would pray every day from her heart. She’d close her eyes and begin, “Tatteh Zeeseh, Heilegeh Tatteh (Sweet Father, Holy Father)”. Can you imagine how many tears my mother shed, how many prayers she offered, when she kindled lights before Shabbos? I was so little, but yet I knew; the only one who prayed more than my mother, was the High Priest on Yom Kippur in the Holy of Holies.

One Friday she was crying so much, and I guess she bent over the candles, and her tears fell on the candles. When she opened her eyes, it was already Shabbos. There were no more candles. The tears extinguished the fire. My mother said, “Ribbono shel olam (Master of the World), Heiligeh Tatteh in Himmel (Holy Father in Heaven), I can’t live without the light of Shabbos. Master of the World, Master of the World, Master of the World, how can I have Shabbos without my Shabbosdike licht (Shabbos light)? But it’s already Shabbos, so I’m begging You, Master of the World, please You, You Master of the World, rekindle my light, rekindle my Shabbosdike Licht.”

The holy rabbi said to the woman, “I swear to you, I saw a hand coming down from Heaven and kindling the lights of Shabbos.”

The holy rabbi gave his blessing to the young woman and she went home to her husband. Each Friday night as the sun was setting the young woman would welcome the heiligeh Shabbos (holy Sabbath) with prayers from her heart and one Shabbos before the year was over crying was heard from her home – a child was born.

May the children be blessed to always stand next to their mothers when they light the holy Shabbos candles. What a moment… what a moment…. The deepest moment in Shabbos.

A Gut’n Shabbos – Good Shabbos – Shabbat Shalom

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)

Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us

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