In regards to the commandment to light candles
Each Friday evening before sunset, the lady of the house (this is not an obligation, it can be the man if there is no woman present) lights the Shabbat candles: one for an unmarried woman and two for a married woman, according to Jewish tradition.
Generally, the candles are placed on or near the Shabbat table. One of the most important reasons is to illuminate the residence so that individuals who live there can see.
The berakha is as follows :
“Barukh atah adonai eloheiny melekh haolam asher kid shanu be mitzvotav ve tzivanu lehadlik ner shel Shabbat,” the woman says, which means “Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the world, who has sanctified us with His laws and commanded us to light the Shabbat candles.”
We refrain from creating on the seventh day of the week, just as G-d stopped creating the universe on the seventh day.
G-d gave us the fourth of the Ten Commandments, which is to keep the Shabbat day holy. However, in the two Torah books that include the Ten Commandments, Exodus and Deuteronomy, it appears in a different way. Both versions are available here:
זָכוֹר אֶת-יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ
Exodus 20:8
שָׁמוֹר אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ
Deuteronomy 5 :12
The first form of this mitzvah says, “Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy,” whereas the second mitzvah says, “Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy.”
AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY FOR PERSONAL PRAYERS :
The lighting of the Shabbat candles is an excellent opportunity to speak with G-d and address Him with specific prayers that reveal our deepest desires.
This is why so many women have adopted the practice of reciting a “yehi ratzon” to beseech G-d for favors. The following is an English translation of the text:
May it be Your will, Lord my God and God of my fathers, to be gracious to me (and to my spouse, children, and parents) and to all my family; grant us and all Israel good and long lives; remember us for good and blessing; consider us for salvation and compassion; bless us with great blessings; and make our household complete, crowning our home with the feeling of Your Divine Presence dwelling among us. Make me worthy to create knowledgeable and understanding children and grandchildren who love and fear God, people of truth, holy and attached to God, who will dazzle the world with Torah and goodness and God’s service.
Please hear our prayers, in the merit of our matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, and ensure that the glow of our lives will never be dimmed. We will be saved if You show us the brightness of Your face. Amen
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