These handmade candlesticks by Lily Shohat encapsulate the beauty of the Sabbath in the Holy Land

This exquisitely-decorated, meticulously-designed, handmade candle set with matching tray will add a unique artistic touch to your home and bring warmth and serenity to your Shabbat table.

The colorful, extra-light candle set is hand-made, and produced at the Lily Art factory in Canot Center, Israel. It will illuminate your home and allow family and guests to appreciate a special gift from the Holy Land for years to come.

Shabbat (Sabbath) is the day where the frantic world comes to a halt. The centuries-old Jewish tradition of resting on the seventh day of the week because God, himself, rested on the seventh day of Creation is a unique experience that allows us to refocus, rearranging our thoughts and taking time away from the hustle and bustle of the work week to experience the best life has to offer.

Lighting the Shabbat candles is a rare opportunity for the whole family to come together to usher in the holiest day of the week, and ask God to grant them the things they need most.

Ever ask yourself why we light candles to usher in the Shabbat? The practice of lighting Shabbat candles was most likely instituted at some point during the Middle Ages when Jewish communities realized burning oil for the duration of the Sabbath day was not practical. Since Shabbat was meant to be a day of physical and spiritual delight, it was important to have light in the house, especially on dark, winter nights to maintain a festive atmosphere and ensure shalom bayit, tranquility between husband and wife.

However, the symbolism of the candles goes further. They serve a greater purpose. It’s prohibited to turn on light/electricity on Shabbat, so the Shabbat candles have traditionally served to illuminate the Jewish home, bringing peace and tranquility and light to the Day of Rest. Before Shabbat begins most families turn off at least some of the lights in their homes, so the candles allow the family to enjoy Friday night dinner under the pleasant glow of Shabbat candles.

Though the man may prepare the tray of candles it is the woman of the household who lights the Shabbat candles. She lights one candle while single and two after getting married. In Ashkenazik communities, single men also light either one or two candles. In some families, the woman lights an additional candle for each child.

The foremost reason we light two candles is because there are two mitzvot (commandments) associated with Shabbat in the Torah: “remember” and “observe.” These two phrases, zachor et yom haShabbat, remember the Sabbath day (Exodus 20.9) and shmor et yom haShabbat, observe the Sabbath day (Deuteronomy 5.12) were uttered simultaneously by G-d at Sinai.

The actual ritual is simple and beautiful, which the artist has channeled when having made the candlesticks for one of the oldest and most cherished commandments in Judaism. The person lighting closes their eyes, and makes three circular motions over the flames as if drawing the holiness of Shabbat inwards towards the home. Then, they utter the blessing over the candles.

After reciting, there is a tradition to thank G-d for the many blessings we have merited to receive and ask Him to grant us our wishes.

Lily Shohat, the creator behind Lily Art, has employed a variety of techniques to introduce unique designs that reflect the vibrant, intimate and beautiful characteristics of the religious objects in her Judaica collection, most especially, these candlesticks.

To find out more go to: https://lilyart.com/