The candles consumes the alien fire of the evil inclination, of anger and dispute. Thus is fulfilled (Shemos 35:3): לֹא תְבַעֲרוּ אֵשׁ בְּכֹל משְׁבֹתֵיכֶם בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת - You shall not kindle fire in any of your dwellings on the Shabbos day — that in the home of every Jew, no alien fire shall burn, that is, the fire of the yetzer hara.”
There once were two fine Jewish brothers, young ba’alei teshuvah. They had been born into a traditional home that was distant from full observance of Torah and mitzvos. In their youth, both became stronger in their faith together, entering the world of teshuvah, which in our generation flourishes greatly, as is well known. They resolved to abandon entirely the coarse and empty secular world, a world devoid of inner content and spiritual purpose — and to dedicate themselves to Torah and Divine service in holiness and purity. They left their home and entered one of the holy yeshivos, to immerse themselves more deeply in the world of Torah and sanctity.
The beginning of their teshuvah journey was very difficult, as their family suddenly severed all connection with them. But they paid no heed, and with all their hearts and souls sought truth and the purpose of life.
From Heaven they were granted a guiding light, when the luminous words of the Mesilas Yesharim shone before them, from the beginning of that holy work:
“The foundation of saintliness and the root of perfect service is that a person should clarify and firmly establish what his duty is in his world, and toward what he must direct his gaze and aspiration in all his endeavors throughout his lifetime.”
And he continues: “Chazal taught that man was created only to take pleasure in Hashem and delight in the radiance of His Presence, for this is the true and greatest joy of all possible delights. The place of this delight is truly the World to Come... Yet the path to reach this desired destination is this world itself... Therefore, man was placed in this world first, so that through the means prepared for him here, he may reach the place prepared for him — the World to Come — to enjoy the good which he acquired through these means.”
These luminous words became their guiding light. They resolved to remain forever on the path of teshuvah, and indeed they immersed themselves in Torah study with all their hearts, growing into fine scholars, shining in Torah and fear of Heaven — a glory to the world of teshuvah.
Their family, though traditional, had not been entirely devoid of Judaism and preserved certain Jewish customs. One custom the mother cherished deeply was to light a special candle every Erev Shabbos “in merit of Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes.”
When asked why she kept this ancient custom so faithfully, despite not fully observing Shabbos or mitzvos, she would answer simply: “So I saw in my mother’s home, may she rest in peace, as she saw in her mother’s home, and so will I do as well!”
After the two brothers returned to a life of Torah, one of them continued this family custom — lighting an additional candle each Erev Shabbos “in merit of Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes.” The other brother, however, who was more “sharp-minded,” wished to sever all connection with his family’s ways, even its good traditions. Having turned a new page in life, he refused to retain even a trace of the old one, and so abandoned that custom as well.
One day, the two brothers were traveling together on a highway when a heavy truck struck their car with great force. The crash was fatal, Heaven protect us — the brother who had abandoned the custom perished instantly, while the one who had continued lighting the candle “in merit of Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes” miraculously survived without injury.
The bereaved brother was deeply stricken by the sudden and tragic loss of his beloved sibling. In his anguish, he was brought to the great educator, Rav Yaakovson shlita, who had guided and saved many souls in Israel. Rav Yaakovson took him to Maran the Steipler zt”l in Bnei Brak.
As they stood waiting in the corridor of the Steipler’s home, they heard from within the holy room the saint’s thunderous rebukes toward those who entered before them — as was known to be his holy manner. The young baal teshuvah trembled in fear.
When their turn came and they entered, the sight of the holy tzaddik filled the young man with awe, and he began to shake. But to their great surprise, as soon as the Steipler saw him, his countenance shone with joy. He drew the young man close with love and said warmly:
“Hashem loves you! You light a special candle every Erev Shabbos — it protects you and guards you!”
Hearing this, the young man burst into tears, realizing that all was revealed before the tzaddik. When the Steipler heard from Rav Yaakovson about his brother’s passing, he comforted him, telling him that his brother had been a great atonement for Klal Yisrael, and that it is a mitzvah to accept consolation. He encouraged him to value every mitzvah he performs and every word of Torah he studies, for they are precious before our Father in Heaven. The impression left on his heart from that visit remained with him all his life.
In time he established a fine Torah home, continuing faithfully the family custom of lighting an extra candle every Erev Shabbos “in merit of Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes” — and merited to see blessed generations of upright descendants, a glory to the house of Yisrael.
From this we learn a beautiful moral lesson: one must never belittle any ancestral custom, as it is said (Mishlei 1:8): וְאַל תִּטֹּשׁ תּוֹרַת אִמֶּךָ - Do not forsake the Torah of your mother. As we have seen in this story, the family’s long-standing custom of adding one candle to the Shabbos lights brought about great salvation and blessing.
How great indeed is the power and virtue of the sacred Shabbos candles! The heartfelt prayer of a Jewish mother as she kindles the Shabbos candles can bring about wonders beyond measure.
