The symbolic meaning of candles in Judaism

Candles have a profound symbolic meaning in Judaism and are used in a wide variety of religious occasions.

Jewish customs candles
Candles are lit before each Shabbat in Jewish homes and synagogues before sunset on Friday evening.
At the end of Shabbat, a special Havdalah braided candle is lit, in which the candle, or fire, is the first work of the new week.
During Chanukah, candles are lit every evening on the Chanukiyah to commemorate the rededication of the Temple, when the oil that was supposed to last only one night lasted for miraculous eight nights.
Candles are lit before major Jewish holidays such as Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, Jewish Passover, Sukkot and Shavuot.
Every year, commemorative candles are lit by Jewish families on the yahrzeit (anniversary of the death) of loved ones.
The eternal flame, or Ner Tamid, found in most synagogues above the ark where the Torah scrolls are kept is intended to represent the original flame of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, although most synagogues today use electric lamps instead of real oil lamps for safety reasons.

The meaning of candles in Judaism
From the many examples above, candles represent a variety of meanings within Judaism.

Candlelight is often regarded as a reminder of God's divine presence, and candles lit during the Jewish holidays and on Shabbat serve to remind us that the occasion is holy and distinct from our daily lives. The two lit candles on Shabbat also serve as a reminder of the biblical requirements for shamor v'zachor: to "keep" (Deuteronomy 5:12) and to "remember" (Exodus 20: 8) - the Sabbath. They also represent kavod (honor) for Sabbath and Oneg Shabbat (enjoyment of Shabbat), because, as Rashi explains:

"... without light there can be no peace, because [people] will constantly stumble and be forced to eat in the dark (Commentary on Talmud, Shabbat 25b)."

Candles are also joyfully identified in Judaism, drawing on a passage in Esther's biblical book, which makes its way into the weekly Havana ceremony.

The Jews had light, joy, joy and honor (Esther 8:16).

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In Jewish tradition, the candle flame is also meant to symbolically represent the human soul and serves to remember the fragility and beauty of life. The connection between the candle flame and the souls originally comes from Mishlei (Proverbs) 20:27:

"The soul of man is the lamp of the Lord, who seeks all the innermost parts."

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Like a human soul, the flames must breathe, change, grow, fight against the darkness and ultimately vanish. Hence, the flicker of candle light helps remind us of the precious fragility of our life and the lives of our loved ones, a life that must be embraced and loved at all times. Because of this symbolism, Jews light memorial candles on certain holidays and yahrzeits of their loved ones (anniversary of death).

Finally, Chabad.org provides a beautiful anecdote about the role of Jewish candles, especially Shabbat candles:

“On January 1, 2000, the New York Times published a Millennium Edition. It was a special issue that featured three first pages. One had the news from January 1, 1900. The second was the real news of the day, January 1, 2000. And then they had a third front page - projecting the foreseen future events of January 1, 2100. This imaginary page included things like a welcome to the 2100st state: Cuba; a discussion on whether to vote for robots; and so on. And besides the fascinating articles, there was another thing. At the bottom of the first page of the Year 1 was the time for candles to be lit in New York on January 2100, 2100. The New York Times production manager - an Irish Catholic - was reportedly asked about it . His answer was right on target. Talk about the eternity of our people and the power of the Jewish ritual. He said: “'We don't know what will happen in 2100. It is impossible to predict the future. But one thing is certain: in the year XNUMX Jewish women will light Shabbat candles. "