New Life 700 – The Sabbath Customs
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Yael Leshed-Harel

Man belongs to the animal world and the difference between him and animals is the desire to know what he is living for. Abraham taught that the question about the meaning of life leads a person to the revelation of the upper force. To discover the upper world, we have to correct the evil inclination in us, our ego.

The Sabbath candles symbolize the Light that comes unto us as a result of the corrections we perform during the six weekdays.

We have to resemble the upper force and become loving and giving according to the plan of creation. Abraham discovered that there is a special force in nature that can help us accomplish this mission, which is the force of the Light, the force of love and giving. Therefore we light two candles, which symbolize the two kinds of Light: the Light of correction of the different parts of the ego and the Light of filling.

When we light the Sabbath candles we should think about getting closer to the love of others. When the egoistic desire is corrected, it is called a soul and it operates with the intention of love and bestowal like the Creator.

Why is it the woman who lights the candles, why do we cover the eyes, and why do we bless? These customs stem from spiritual roots that symbolize the corrections we have to perform. The wine symbolizes the Light of Hochma and the bread symbolizes the Light of Hassadim.

When we sing the song “Welcome the Angels of Peace,” we sing about the forces that correct the desire to receive into bestowal. These correcting forces turn a person into a loving person who bestows unto others and then he discovers the upper world. “Oneg Shabbat” (the pleasure of Sabbath) symbolizes the great Light that a person who has corrected his ego in the spiritual state called the “Sabbath.”
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From KabTV’s “New Life 700 – The Sabbath Customs,” 3/8/16

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