![]() ![]() (Note that the same question can be raised for a single family. If many families are eating together, can each one light its own candles, or is there a limit? Once a dining room is fully illuminated – with both electric lighting and candles, is there any point to lighting more candles, making virtually no practical difference? There is a second issue very relevant to a hotel setting. However, if for whatever reason it is not possible to light where you will be eating, you can light in any other room you plan to use that night to fulfill your obligation. This second obligation is not typically fulfilled by lighting candles, but just in seeing to it that each room has sufficient illumination, even if, say, from an outside streetlight. But in addition, there is an obligation to ensure all used areas of the house have sufficient lighting. The first is the classic one to light candles on (or near) the Shabbat table, to enhance the meal. This reason applies primarily to the Shabbat table itself.īased on the above, there are two primary obligations. The Shabbat meal is dignified and enhanced with good lighting (Rashi Shabbat 25b s.v. Every room which will be in use over Shabbat must have sufficient lighting. Note that this reason applies to the entire house, not only the Shabbat table. Further, if it is so dark people will bump into things when they go about, there will be no peace in the home (Talmud Shabbat 23b, Rambam Hil’ Chanukah 4:14). A house without proper lighting is dark and gloomy. The most fundamental question of all is why we are obligated to light Shabbat candles in the first place. The two main issues we must examine are where one should light in a hotel, as well as what one may light – considering that hotels typically do not allow guests to light fires of any sort. Thus to answer, I will first discuss some of the general rules and then we’ll look at the practical law. Lighting candles in a hotel is actually a rather complex question, one which revolves around several basic principles. Are there any other options? The Aish Rabbi Replies How can my wife best fulfill the mitzvah of lighting candles? I didn’t ask the hotel yet, but it’s very possible they will not allow us to light candles. You may find that a candle has a presence of its own, a soothing energy that helps you just BE, and not have to DO.We will be staying at a hotel for Shabbat in a few weeks. Just this act of gazing and allowing your mind to relax and disengage from having to “DO” will be therapeutic. Don’t worry about your mind wandering or “trying” to meditate per se. The winter season, as the days grow shorter and darker, is a perfect time to turn out the lights, light a candle, and sit comfortably to gaze. When fire becomes our focus, the mind is able to relax and process all of the information it has been taking in throughout the day.ĭuring the winter months, candle focus can be a particularly powerful practice. These images send a constant barrage of information to our brains, leaving little time to process and reflect. Our days are filled with computer screens, smartphones, and televisions. Whether you regularly practice meditation or not, the benefits of sitting to gaze at a flame with the lights turned out sets your brain up for a meditative state – without “doing” anything! This transformation happens during just a few minutes of gazing at a flickering flame! ![]() When we gaze at a flickering flame, our brain begins to shift out of our constant beta brainwave state, which is associated with reactivity, thinking, and alertness, into the alpha brainwave state, associated with a relaxed and creative state of mind.Īlpha brainwaves then become theta brainwaves, which are associated with meditation and intuition.Īs a result in this shift of brainwaves, our mind becomes more relaxed, open, and receptive. Gazing at a lit candle in a dark room is literally calming on the brain. If you shut the lights for just a few minutes and light a candle to focus on, the results can be transformative – for your body and soul. Only very recently in human history do we have artificial light to serve us. Remember that for hundreds of years, fire was our primary source of light and focus. While we need these lights much of the day to work and function, we also need a break from them to preserve our sense of peace, not to mention our eyes! The constant light from our multiple screens and lighting around us creates a sensory overload to our brains. During this busy time of the year, with screens lights galore, I invite you to turn off the lights for a bit and light a candle for your soul! ![]()
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