Why do Jews love candles so much? Parashat B'haalotekha

Why is light so important in Judaism?

Parashat Beha'alotekha begins with the words:

"When you raise up the lamps" (Beha'alotekha et ha-nerot) (Numbers 8:2)

בְּהַעֲלֹתְךָ אֶת־הַנֵּרֹת

But the verb used here does not simply mean "to light."

When we light the Shabbat candles, we use a different verb: lehadlik, as in lehadlik ner shel Shabbat — "to light the candles of Shabbat."

Here, however, the Torah uses a different word. Literally, it means "to cause to rise," "to lift up," "to elevate."

And that is not accidental.

In the biblical narrative, there are no coincidences. Everything carries meaning. Every physical gesture points beyond itself to a deeper reality.

So what does it mean to "elevate the light"?

In the Kabbalistic tradition, there is a concept known as nitzotzot (נצוצות) — divine sparks.

According to this teaching, an infinite divine light sought to reveal itself within the world.

But that light was so powerful that the vessels meant to contain it shattered.

As a result, fragments of that light — nitzotzot, holy sparks — became scattered throughout the world.

We can see this as a tragedy. And on one level, perhaps it is.

Or we can see it as an opportunity.

Because the world is not filled with infinite and perfect light, then yes, there are moments when we experience darkness: ignorance, doubt, fear, violence, division, and despair.

But it also means that we have responsibility:

We have the power to choose.

To choose between good and evil.

To choose to do good.

And if I translate this into the language of everyday life, we already speak the language of energy and mindsets in terms of downfalls and elevation:

When I feel discouraged, I feel down.

When I recover my strength, I rise again.

When a song rises within me, when a dance awakens in me, when a smile appears, when laughter bursts forth, something is being lifted up.

And when I lift myself up, I lift others up as well.

This has always been one of the callings of the Jewish people—and, indeed, of humanity as a whole.

Rabbi Yitzhak Levi of Berditchev therefore reads the verse in the following way:

בהעלותך את הנרות, היינו בהעלותך הניצוצין"When you raise up the lamps—that is, when you raise up the divine sparks."

For the Kedushat Levi, this is the vocation of the tzaddik: to elevate the world along with himself.

As human beings, and as Jews, we all share this responsibility. We are all called to become tzaddikim in our own way:

To remind one another that we are here to lift each other up.

Today, that mission may feel more important than ever.

In the face of pessimism.

In the face of violence.

In the face of division.

In the face of injustice.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe taught, in essence:

"When a room is dark, you do not sweep away the darkness with a broom; you light a lamp."

So perhaps that lamp, today, is you.

And here is my question for you:

How will you raise your own light today?

How will you help someone else rise?

How will you become a light that increases the light of the world?

Shabbat Shalom.