|
|
Meditation |  |
 Of
Candles and Creation
by Talya Kramer She
stands silently for only a moment, stares at the glistening silver candlesticks
and then at the cups of clear yellow oil and cotton wicks. She takes a deep breath.
Sparks fly into the air as she strikes a match. Her hand first reaches out to
the candlestick on the right, as she lights her candles one by one. The room around
her is tranquil and still, with her children standing behind her with big, glowing
eyes. Even the baby knows not to utter a word. May
these be the candles of everlasting peace; may these be the candles of abundance;
may these be the candles of rectified Light. Master of the Universe, may these
be the candles that burn forever and ever. With
this silent prayer meditation, she stretches her arms wide to hover some distance
around the flames, and then draws them in to carry the light and warmth into the
universe. One, two, three times, she invites the Shabbat angels into her home
for blessings of peace. Then, she tilts her head downwards, lowers her eyelids,
and buries her face inside her hands. A small, whispered muffle can be heard under
her hands as she recites the blessing. With this, the moment transcends into an
awesome divine space of higher consciousness. She is now face to face with her
Creator. My heart is open, please hear my cries, wipe away my tears, restore my
true faith in You. The
spiritual nature of the holy day of Shabbat is one that has a transcendental quality.
The Shabbat, referred to as “the Beloved,” “the Queen” and
“the Bride,” is a day on which the fundamental nature and essence of
Creation take a completely different form. The Kabbalah teaches us that all of
Creation, from the lowest levels of physical reality to the highest spiritual
beings, return to their Source—the Source of good, the higher purpose. The
Talmud states that Shabbat is also a taste (in fact, exactly one-sixtieth) of
the World to Come. But, essentially, in spiritual terms, there is no comparison
to the significance of Shabbat, for her holiness is completely immeasurable. What
can be understood about the magnificence of this day, and its distinctive candle-lighting
inauguration? What is the significance of the fact that it is the woman or women
of the house that are chosen to perform this powerful and unique mitzvah? On
a Kabbalistic level, the Shabbat refers to the sefirah of malchut, the
divine attribute of kingship, the receptacle of divine sustenance which flows
from the higher sefirot into the physical or lower worlds. Malchut also becomes
a place for the rectification of the universe, by reclaiming G-d’s true glory
and kingship in the world. A woman can relate to this concept, because of her
inherent physical nature that receives first, and then forms and develops, the
embryo. Also, the Shabbat is intrinsically female, as it receives as well, in
contrast to the giving nature of the previous six days of the week. But what does
this “receiving” or “female” nature mean on a divine level? One
way to understand the nature of Shabbat is to look back to the first week of Creation.
The holy Ari, the master Kabbalist of Safed, taught that Creation began with the
first tzimtzum, the initial contraction of G-dly light, to allow the creation
of physicality or non-infinite existence. On the seventh day, He rested. G-d did
not create. He did not retract His light. He simply allowed the flow of divine
light to penetrate the universe. The
Shabbat was, and is, the day where the constricted nature of G-dly light converted
into the emergence of divine flow. She, the Shabbat, in her purest form, is the
ultimate receptacle for such a transformative occurrence. And, amazingly, this
is a recurring state that takes place every week.Due to the receiving nature of
the Shabbat and the biological receiving nature of women (as during conception),
the Shabbat corresponds to the spiritual disposition of women in general. This
is to say that Shabbat is the receiving female in relation to the six days of
the week, which correspond to the giving male. This sheds light on one reason
that it is she, the woman of the house, who initiates this remarkable event. In
addition, the Zohar reveals to us another important factor as to why the woman
is chosen for the specific task of lighting the Shabbat candles. Eve, through
her sin in the Garden of Eden, unwittingly expelled much of the divine light from
this world (Zohar I:48b). It is therefore her duty to light the Shabbat candles,
also as an attempt to restore what was lost. One
could see this as unjust, or perhaps an exaggerated response to the sin; but on
a mystical level, the perspective differs. Although the act of sinning partially
severs our relationship with our Creator, Kabbalah and Chassidut teach us that,
in fact, it can give us the opportunity to achieve rectification for that sin,
and thus reach an even higher level of closeness to G-d. We see here that although
it may be true that the light of the world was lost on account of the actions
of Eve (who can be seen as the spiritual root of all female souls in existence),
it is also womankind’s greatest honor to effect such a lofty rectification.
As we know, the greater the sin, the more difficult the task of rectification
likewise becomes; and yet, for that very reason, is all the more rewarding in
the long run. Also,
our communion with the Creator at this very moment, when we lock our eyes on the
tiny flames and open our hearts to pray, is as if we are standing face to face
with our Creator. This is very deep. The blessing we recite begins, “Blessed
are You . . . who has sanctified us [in Hebrew, kideshanu] with His commandments
. . .” The word kideshanu literally means “sanctified,”
but even deeper, it comes from the word kiddushin, related to marriage. We are
literally binding ourselves to our Creator like a wife and her husband. Realize
how precious this moment really is. The space between us and G-d is extremely
intimate. Perhaps, with one true prayer, said with utmost joy, we can truly save
the world. The
Shabbat is sanctified through both physicality and spirituality. We turn our hearts
to pray with fervor and joy, and we indulge ourselves in fine foods and delicacies.
But how can we really tap into the true spiritual significance of this awesome
holy day? As Rabbi Shlomo Alkabetz wrote in the famous hymn “Lecha Dodi,”
Sof maaseh bemachshavah techilah—“The end deed emerges from the first
thought.” Our first thought is the meditative prayer (i.e., the purely spiritual
element) that follows our lighting of the Shabbat candles; the degree to which
our physical enjoyment during the rest of Shabbat is sanctified goes hand in hand
with our spiritual concentration, especially at the commencement of the Day of
Rest. May we truly merit to purify and elevate this lofty moment! Shabbat Shalom!
Talya Kramer, a former member of the ASCENT/KabbalaOnline.org
staff, resides in Safed with her growing family. She teaches weekly classes in
Kabbalah and Chassidut as well
|
