Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has sanctified us with laws and commanded us to be a light to the world. As we light the festival candles, we acknowledge that as they brighten our Passover table, good thoughts, good words, and good deeds brighten our days.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and has commanded us to kindle the light of the Day of Remembrance.
Spark Our Remembrance oh God!
In Ya’aleh ve-Yavo (Our Remembrance) we cry to God, “Leave us traces! Raise the sparks of our remembrance; gather past, present, and future and, in a single gesture, blast history itself open; redeem us, and redeem our ancestors, all together, speedily, at this very moment!” And we cry to ourselves, “may we remember! May we cling to traces! May our remembrance not remain bound to the earth, within linear, causal time; may its fierceness break the bonds of time itself, and gather us
and our ancestors together at once into liberation!”
The Meaning of The Candle's Flame
The candle's flame represents the human soul and serves as a reminder of the beauty & frailty of life. This connection between souls and the candle's flame is originally taken from Proverbs.
"The human spirit is a lamp of Adonai;
it searches one’s inmost being."
Mishlei (Pro) 20:27
Candles are also equated with joy, drawing upon a passage in the book of Esther.
For the Jews, all was light, gladness, joy and honor.
Ester (Est) 8:16
And finally we come into the full understanding of the candle's flame when Yeshua HaMashiach says, “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light which gives life.” Yochanan (John) 8:12
He goes on to say, “You are light for the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Likewise, when people light a lamp, they don’t cover it with a bowl but put it on a lampstand, so that it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they may see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven." Mattityahu (Mat) 5:14-16
So as we continue to remember all God has done to deliver us from oppression and the bondage of sin over our lives, let us kindle the flame of his holy spirit within us so that we shine brighter than the stars of heaven wherever we go and in all that we do.
May the Lord bless you
and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you
and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor
and give you his peace.
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