We are currently marking the counting of the Omer, the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot when we focus deeply and intentionally on how we connect to Torah on a daily basis. Although in biblical times there were no major Jewish holidays celebrated between these two festivals, we now celebrate our Israeli “High Holy Days,” marking Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron, and Yom Ha’atzmaut (as we did these past two weeks, together as a community). And of course, this season of the Omer is typically a busy one for many of us: a time for end-of-the-year programs, celebrations, galas, and graduations. With so much going on in our day-to-day lives, there is no better time for us to re-focus our attention on the rituals of Shabbat.
As a parent, I know how difficult—but also how meaningful—it is to take a few minutes at the end of each week to check in, offer one another blessings, and light the Shabbat candles. The ritual of lighting the candles on the Sabbath is unlike most other Jewish practices. Typically, a prayer is recited before we perform the act we are saying that anticipatory blessing for, so it would make sense that we would say the blessing before lighting the candles on Shabbat. However, once the blessing has been recited, Shabbat has effectively begun, and traditionally one wouldn’t light a candle on Shabbat. Therefore, the ritual evolved to lighting the candles, covering our eyes so that we don’t see that they are lit as we chant the blessing, and then officially marking the beginning of Shabbat when the blessing is over and we open our eyes to the fresh light of the golden flames. Even if we aren’t strictly keeping Shabbat, it is important for us to understand the origins of our rituals so that we might experience them more fully. There is so much detailed choreography that goes along with our prayers, and if you ever have a question about when to bow, when to stand on your toes, when to light, or what specific observance means in our services, please know that your clergy, interns, and educators are here to be your humble and happy guides.
I particularly love the physical act of bringing our hands to our eyes as we light our candles, when we symbolically bring the light of Shabbat into our bodies and souls as we recite the blessing over the candles. If you are ever in our Aaron Milken Center Preschool on a Friday morning, you will see hundreds of tiny hands bringing light into their hearts physically and symbolically—a beautiful reminder for us of the sweetness and calmness of Shabbat. During this busy period of the Omer, may we take extra care to embrace the rituals of Shabbat in our homes, our schools, and our synagogue together, marking each week with light, sweetness, rest, and a renewed connection to one another and to our faith.
—Cantor Emma Lutz