Posted by Steven Benjamin on April 10, 2009, 4:53 pm, in reply to "There is a Mandatory Hebrew OBSERVANCE to LIGHT A CANDLE on a certain day and time..."
Now as to lighting a Fire on Sabbath. The Jews have strict observances against such.
But they are FAMOUS for adding to the Word of God. Many such observances are TALMUDIC.
That is to say from a series of RABBINICAL writings, MAN MADE DICTATES based on Human
commentary and interpretation of Scriptures. WHAT WE SHOULD BE CONCERNED WITH...
IS SCRIPTURE itself.
There are various groups of Jews. SOME, will not start an AUTOMOBILE
on Sabbath, because it contains a COMBUSTION engine, and Fire would have to be Kindled.
Some will, and have more lenient interpretations to such. Many will NOT USE ANY Electricity.
Seeing such as lighting a fire, as Electricity is a form of Fire. I myself, have for sometime, tried to turn on ALL
appliances to be used during SABBATH ahead of time. WHY?
Well it goes back to the timeframe I learned about this matter. You see, DEVOUT Jews, will not even ALLOW
the TRANSFER of FLAME from one candle to another during Sabbath, with an exception made on FEAST DAYS.
During the feast days this allowed, as it is considered that as long as the ORIGINAL flame has been kept,
no NEW FIRE has been Kindled. It is only allowed during these times because of the LENGTH
of observances. For instance, As I understand it Last Even, began A HIGH HOLY SABBATH, which continues to This EVEN. BUT THEN YOU HAVE ANOTHER SABBATH, THE WEEKLY, coming back to back.
In this case of those observing such guidlines, they would have lit candles Yesterday, NO LATER than 18 minutes prior to Sunset. And they would either have purchase CANDLES which were large enough to BURN for several days, or THEY WOULD Have extra candles on hand, and transfer the Original Flame from one candle to the next keeping the original flame lit as they transfer the flame.
SO if the flame is lit, PRIOR to SABBATH, it can be kept BURNING throughout,
but A FLAME CANNOT BE KINDLED in the timeframe, this practice works on the notion it was kindled prior.
They light 2 candles usually. So, Some JEWS apply this To ELECTRICITY as well, seeing it a sin to switch on a Light
during Sabbath. Some dont, but most do, at least the devout.
Our CONCERN HERE however is not to ACT LIKE JEWS...it is to find out WHY, they do what they DO?
So that if it is indeed a SCRIPTURAL practice, as we learn about the LAW of GOD, the we too can strive to KEEP his LAWS. Just as the JEWs have Candles which burn for days, I often Re-boot my PC, just before SABBATH, likewise Turn on my TV and DVD player if I plan to watch a movie. As I am kind of in between the two camps, leaning towards the more orthodox to "Err on the side of prudence" as it were.
THIS IS ONLY A SAFETY NET, we are still required to search the truth of these matters out ourselves, to EXHALT THE LAW(s) OF GOD ABOVE THE TRADITIONS OF MEN!
We need to Keep in Mind, many of the JEWISH observances are RABBINICAL man made conventions, and not mandates of God, though treated as such by many Jews.
You may recall my having concerns about Sounding the Shofar during Sabbath.
I find during the course of this study that such is a RABBINICAL convention. I now know why,
but I likewise know such is the LAW of Man, and NOT the Law of YHWH. In the course of learning such, I find that the Hebrew customs on sunset actually line up with those taught me of the Spirit. Finding confirmation
that She was protecting me as she guided me all this time. Such was the case with my finding I had cooked my meat in the wrong fashion for seder, then to be invited to a neighbors on Wednesday for the evening meal, to find the EXACT same type of meat, COOKED PROPERLY, and to have carried my own unleavened bread,
herbs and then to later find, not only had the Spirit provided there, but I would learn WEDNESDAY at SUNSET, according to KARAITE Hebrew practices which predate not only the Rabbinical Talmudic traditions,but even the Babylonian Captivity, shows that Wednesday at Sunset began 14 Abib, or as so many confuse this
week...14 Nissan.
I love Jah', and His Holy Spirit, Roauch Ha Chodesh, she has sheltered me and nutured me so greatly.
So, I have a collection of articles here, not too long, but into this subject of the tradition of Lighting "SABBATH CANDLES" and who does it, why, and WHEN. But before I start posting them in the next post,I emphasize that we should look to SCRIPTURE above even the TRADITIONS of Men.
And if Scripture shows we are not to LIGHT flames during the Timeframe of Sabbath, the WEEKLY, we must also in considering the command to observe certain other days which at times may adjoin themselves to be the day directly of, just before, or just following the weekly Sabbath, these HIGH HOLY DAYS, to observe them likewise.
With that, the answer is YES, Scripture Does offer a mandate against Lighting Candles DURING SABBATH.
The Passage is found in Exodus.
"You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations on the sabbath day"
(Exodus 35:3). KJV 1611
(CONT TO: ARTICLES ON HEBREW "SABBATH CANDLES")
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