It has always been a mysterious experience to light the Shabbat candles.
Bubby used a napkin to cover her head, reciting the b’racha every Shabbat.
She had her own Hebrew, different from any I had heard before.
Bubby played hide and seek every Friday night when she lit the candles. She would cover her eyes, say the b’racha and then add her special prayer for everyone in gan eden and all of us. Like Bubby, we covered our eyes, and when we took our hands away, our eyes feasted on the beautiful Shabbat lights.
So when Ava, Lisa, Suri, Rachel and I were sharing a Shabbat, each of us lit the Shabbat candles, covered our eyes and sang the b’racha. When we finished, Ava’s little voice popped out, and peering at all of us through her tiny four-year-old hands, she said, “I’m peeking.”
Shabbat is a time to peek (peak) in search of vision and revelation that is yet to come, to wait in anticipation, to light candles, to take the likeness of Bubby’s napkin, cover our heads and our eyes and say the b’racha.
In that moment, we are never really more than four years old.
Debbie Friedman is an artist, singer and songwriter of Jewish music.
www.debbiefriedman.com
