Sabbath Candlesticks

Must Know

In Jewish homes around the world, candles are lit, blessings are said and Shabbat is welcomed on Friday evening before sunset. This is traditionally done by the woman of the household but can be done by a man. It is customary to light two candles, one for the first mention of the commandment to keep the Sabbath in the Book of Exodus (20:7) and one for the second, to remember in Deuteronomy (5:11).9 In many homes an additional candle is lit for each child of the family. The earliest halachic reference to candle lighting appears in the Mishna, Tractate Shabbat chapter 2, in a well-known passage that opens with the words, “With what do they kindle [the Sabbath light] and with what do they not kindle [it]?” This Mishna and the entire chapter were deemed so important that they were early additions to the Sabbath liturgy.
Vienna was one of the most prominent centres of Jewish culture in Europe. There were 147,000 Jews during the turn of the century. The beautiful Judaica is an impressive testimony of Jewish life in Vienna.