Collection: Unscented Jewish Candles

Judaism is a one of the world’s oldest religions and Jewish, or Judaica, candles refer to specific kinds of candles that are burned for Jewish holidays and special occasions. GoodLight offers two kinds of Judaica candles: Shabbat or Shabbos candles for the weekly Sabbath, and Hanukkah, also spelled Chanukah, candles for the yearly wintertime holiday of the same name.

There are many kinds of Jewish candles and GoodLight offers two specific varieties: Shabbat candles and Hanukkah candles. Shabbat - the Jewish Sabbath– is a 25-hour period of rest lasting from just before sunset on Friday evening until nightfall on Saturday. Shabbat’s arrival, on Friday night just before sundown, is marked with a special candle-lighting ceremony. Hanukkah (sometimes spelled Chanukah) is an 8-day celebration in the winter also known as the Festival of Lights where candles are burned each night.

Hanukkah commemorates the successful rebellion, in the second century B.C.E., of a clan of Jewish freedom fighters called the Maccabees. Despite being greatly outnumbered, the Maccabees managed to recapture the Holy Temple, the premier site of ancient Judaism, from their oppressors. The Temple was in shambles and the fighters found only enough oil to light a lantern by which to read the Torah for one day. But the lantern blazed for eight full days. The 8 candles of Hanukkah represent those eight days of light.

There are 45 candles in a box of GoodLight Hanukkah candles. The menorah holds nine candles. You do not put all of the Hanukkah candles in the menorah at once. One candle is lit the first night, adding an additional candle each night, for eight nights. The shamash, or ninth candle, is present for all eight nights as it is used to light the other candles. Only on the 8th night will you put all the candles in the menorah.