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  "url": "https://staging.thenewjew.org/articles/essentials-essential-judaica-shabbat-candlesticks-and-kiddush-cup.json",
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  "title": "Shabbat Candlesticks and Kiddush Cup",
  "summary": "The two essential pieces of Shabbat judaica: candlesticks to welcome the day and a kiddush cup to sanctify it.",
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      "title": "Shabbat Candlesticks and Kiddush Cup",
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    "article": {
      "slug": "essentials-essential-judaica-shabbat-candlesticks-and-kiddush-cup",
      "title": "Shabbat Candlesticks and Kiddush Cup",
      "deck": "The two essential pieces of Shabbat judaica: candlesticks to welcome the day and a kiddush cup to sanctify it.",
      "summary": "Summary. Shabbat at home is opened with the lighting of candles and the recitation of kiddush over wine. The candlesticks are typically a pair (or one for each member of the family) of silver, brass, or other metal. The kiddush cup is a single cup of silver, ceramic, or fine glass, large enough to hold a revi’it (about 3.3 fluid ounces). These two pieces of judaica are the gateway to the most distinctive practice of Jewish life. They should be beautiful — hiddur mitzvah (the beautification of a mitzvah) is itself a value.",
      "level": "essential",
      "sectionSlug": "essentials",
      "tags": [
        "shabbat",
        "judaica",
        "ritual objects"
      ],
      "publishedAt": "2026-07-06T02:19:03.001Z",
      "wordCount": 522,
      "readMinutes": 2
    },
    "section": {
      "slug": "jewish-living",
      "title": "Jewish Living"
    },
    "image": null,
    "blocks": [
      {
        "type": "summary",
        "body": "Summary. [Shabbat](/glossary.json#letter-S) at home is opened with the lighting of candles and the recitation of [kiddush](/glossary.json#letter-K) over wine. The candlesticks are typically a pair (or one for each member of the family) of silver, brass, or other metal. The kiddush cup is a single cup of silver, ceramic, or fine glass, large enough to hold a [revi’it](/glossary.json#letter-R) (about 3.3 fluid ounces). These two pieces of judaica are the gateway to the most distinctive practice of Jewish life. They should be beautiful — [hiddur mitzvah](/glossary.json#letter-H) (the beautification of a [mitzvah](/glossary.json#letter-M)) is itself a value.",
        "text": "Summary. Shabbat at home is opened with the lighting of candles and the recitation of kiddush over wine. The candlesticks are typically a pair (or one for each member of the family) of silver, brass, or other metal. The kiddush cup is a single cup of silver, ceramic, or fine glass, large enough to hold a revi’it (about 3.3 fluid ounces). These two pieces of judaica are the gateway to the most distinctive practice of Jewish life. They should be beautiful — hiddur mitzvah (the beautification of a mitzvah) is itself a value."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Candlesticks",
        "text": "Candlesticks"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Two candles are the standard for lighting; some families add one for each child. The candlesticks should hold the candles steady and not blow out. Silver is traditional; brass, bronze, ceramic, and even wood are acceptable. Many families inherit candlesticks from a grandmother or great-grandmother. For a New Jew without such inheritance, a beautiful pair from Israel (Yair Emanuel and Avner Agayof are well-known makers) makes an appropriate first purchase. The candles themselves are paraffin tea-lights or wax tapers; Manischewitz makes pre-portioned Shabbat candles widely available.",
        "text": "Two candles are the standard for lighting; some families add one for each child. The candlesticks should hold the candles steady and not blow out. Silver is traditional; brass, bronze, ceramic, and even wood are acceptable. Many families inherit candlesticks from a grandmother or great-grandmother. For a New Jew without such inheritance, a beautiful pair from Israel (Yair Emanuel and Avner Agayof are well-known makers) makes an appropriate first purchase. The candles themselves are paraffin tea-lights or wax tapers; Manischewitz makes pre-portioned Shabbat candles widely available."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Kiddush Cup",
        "text": "Kiddush Cup"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "A single cup, usually of silver, large enough to hold a revi’it (about 3.3 fluid ounces). The cup should be reserved for kiddush and not used for ordinary drinking. Many families have a small cup for the weekday hand-washing ([netilat yadayim](/glossary.json#letter-N)) and a larger one for Shabbat kiddush. A second smaller cup is sometimes used for [havdalah](/glossary.json#letter-H) (the closing of Shabbat). Many silver kiddush cups bear an engraved verse — [borei pri hagafen](/glossary.json#letter-B) (the closing of the blessing) or a verse from the kiddush itself.",
        "text": "A single cup, usually of silver, large enough to hold a revi’it (about 3.3 fluid ounces). The cup should be reserved for kiddush and not used for ordinary drinking. Many families have a small cup for the weekday hand-washing (netilat yadayim) and a larger one for Shabbat kiddush. A second smaller cup is sometimes used for havdalah (the closing of Shabbat). Many silver kiddush cups bear an engraved verse — borei pri hagafen (the closing of the blessing) or a verse from the kiddush itself."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Havdalah Set",
        "text": "Havdalah Set"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Closing Shabbat on Saturday night requires three additional items: a havdalah candle (braided, with multiple wicks), a [besamim](/glossary.json#letter-B) (spice) holder, and the kiddush cup. The havdalah set is a separate purchase; many families combine the kiddush cup with the besamim holder in a single piece.",
        "text": "Closing Shabbat on Saturday night requires three additional items: a havdalah candle (braided, with multiple wicks), a besamim (spice) holder, and the kiddush cup. The havdalah set is a separate purchase; many families combine the kiddush cup with the besamim holder in a single piece."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Hiddur Mitzvah",
        "text": "Hiddur Mitzvah"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "The principle of hiddur mitzvah — the beautification of a mitzvah (drawn from [Shemot 15:2](https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.15.2): zeh Eli v’anveihu, “this is my God and I will adorn Him”) — applies particularly to ritual objects. The [Talmud](/glossary.json#letter-T) ([Shabbat 133b](https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.133b)) teaches that one should pursue beautiful mitzvot — a beautiful [sukkah](/glossary.json#letter-S), a beautiful lulav, and a beautiful set of tzitzit. The same applies to candlesticks, kiddush cups, and other ritual judaica. Buy something you love; you will see it weekly for the rest of your life.",
        "text": "The principle of hiddur mitzvah — the beautification of a mitzvah (drawn from Shemot 15:2: zeh Eli v’anveihu, “this is my God and I will adorn Him”) — applies particularly to ritual objects. The Talmud (Shabbat 133b) teaches that one should pursue beautiful mitzvot — a beautiful sukkah, a beautiful lulav, and a beautiful set of tzitzit. The same applies to candlesticks, kiddush cups, and other ritual judaica. Buy something you love; you will see it weekly for the rest of your life."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Where Denominations Diverge",
        "text": "Where Denominations Diverge"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Universal across all denominations. Some [Orthodox](/glossary.json#letter-O) communities (particularly [Hasidic](/glossary.json#letter-H)) have additional customs around the materials of candlesticks (silver preferred) and the proper preparation of wine for kiddush ([mevushal](/glossary.json#letter-M) — boiled — wine for some occasions). [Reform](/glossary.json#letter-R) and Conservative practice is essentially the same as Orthodox on these objects.",
        "text": "Universal across all denominations. Some Orthodox communities (particularly Hasidic) have additional customs around the materials of candlesticks (silver preferred) and the proper preparation of wine for kiddush (mevushal — boiled — wine for some occasions). Reform and Conservative practice is essentially the same as Orthodox on these objects."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Sources",
        "text": "Sources"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Torah](/glossary.json#letter-T): [Shemot 20:8](https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.20.8); 15:2 (hiddur).",
        "text": "Torah: Shemot 20:8; 15:2 (hiddur)."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Mishnah Shabbat 2](https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Shabbat.2); [Talmud Bavli](/glossary.json#letter-T), [Shabbat 23b](https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.23b), 133b.",
        "text": "Mishnah Shabbat 2; Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 23b, 133b."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Shulchan Aruch](/glossary.json#letter-S), [Orach Chaim 263](https://www.sefaria.org/Shulchan_Arukh,_Orach_Chayim.263) (candles), [271 (kiddush)](https://www.sefaria.org/Shulchan_Arukh,_Orach_Chayim.271), [296 (havdalah)](https://www.sefaria.org/Shulchan_Arukh,_Orach_Chayim.296).",
        "text": "Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 263 (candles), 271 (kiddush), 296 (havdalah)."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[What Are Shabbat Candles?](https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/93783/jewish/What-Are-Shabbat-Candles.htm) — Chabad.org.",
        "text": "What Are Shabbat Candles? — Chabad.org."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[The Incense (Besamim) and Havdalah Candle](https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/610826/jewish/The-Incense-Besamim-and-Havdalah-Candle.htm) — Chabad.org.",
        "text": "The Incense (Besamim) and Havdalah Candle — Chabad.org."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[The Beautifcation of Mitzvot](https://aish.com/the-beautifcation-of-mitzvot/) — Aish.",
        "text": "The Beautifcation of Mitzvot — Aish."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[How to Light Shabbat Candles: A Beginner’s Guide](https://exploringjudaism.org/how-to-light-shabbat-candles-a-beginners-guide/) — Exploring Judaism.",
        "text": "How to Light Shabbat Candles: A Beginner’s Guide — Exploring Judaism."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Further Reading",
        "text": "Further Reading"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Blu [Greenberg](/glossary.json#letter-R), How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household.",
        "text": "Blu Greenberg, How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Anita Diamant, Living a Jewish Life.",
        "text": "Anita Diamant, Living a Jewish Life."
      }
    ],
    "related": [
      {
        "slug": "essentials-essential-questions-who-is-a-jew",
        "title": "Who is a Jew?",
        "href": "/articles/essentials-essential-questions-who-is-a-jew.json"
      },
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        "slug": "essentials-essential-questions-what-does-judaism-teach-about-god",
        "title": "What Does Judaism Teach About God?",
        "href": "/articles/essentials-essential-questions-what-does-judaism-teach-about-god.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "essentials-essential-questions-do-jews-believe-in-an-afterlife",
        "title": "Do Jews Believe in an Afterlife?",
        "href": "/articles/essentials-essential-questions-do-jews-believe-in-an-afterlife.json"
      },
      {
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        "title": "Why Do Jews Not Believe in Jesus?",
        "href": "/articles/essentials-essential-questions-why-do-jews-not-believe-in-jesus.json"
      }
    ],
    "goDeeper": [
      {
        "slug": "going-deeper-deeper-judaica-sukkah",
        "title": "Sukkah",
        "level": "deeper",
        "href": "/articles/going-deeper-deeper-judaica-sukkah.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "going-deeper-deeper-judaica-lulav-and-etrog-the-four-species",
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        "level": "deeper",
        "href": "/articles/going-deeper-deeper-judaica-hanukkiah-menorah.json"
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    ],
    "glossary": {
      "hasidism": {
        "term": "Hasidism",
        "hebrew": "חֲסִידוּת",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The mystical revival movement founded by the Baal Shem Tov in 18th-century Eastern Europe, teaching that God can be served with joy in every act and every person. Its communities, each led by a Rebbe, remain a major force in Jewish life.",
        "moreSlug": "going-deeper-deeper-questions-hasidism-vs-mitnagdism"
      },
      "orthodox-judaism": {
        "term": "Orthodox Judaism",
        "hebrew": null,
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Orthodox Judaism holds Halacha as fully binding and the Shulchan Aruch as its canonical code; it spans Haredi and Hasidic communities as well as Modern Orthodoxy, and is the starting point from which this Field Guide is written, even as it engages seriously with other denominations.",
        "moreSlug": "how-to-use-this-field-guide"
      },
      "yitz-greenberg": {
        "term": "Rabbi Yitz Greenberg",
        "hebrew": null,
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Rabbi Irving 'Yitz' Greenberg (b. 1933), a Modern Orthodox rabbi and Holocaust theologian known for the principle that no Jewish theological statement should be made that would not be credible in the presence of burning children; author of The Jewish Way.",
        "moreSlug": "holidays-modern-observances-yom-hashoah"
      },
      "reform-judaism": {
        "term": "Reform Judaism",
        "hebrew": null,
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Reform Judaism treats Halacha as a source of values and meaning rather than binding law, emphasizing individual autonomy, ethical monotheism, and tikkun olam; it was the first movement to fully recognize patrilineal descent and ordain women as rabbis.",
        "moreSlug": "how-to-use-this-field-guide"
      },
      "shabbat": {
        "term": "Shabbat",
        "hebrew": "שַׁבָּת",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The seventh day — the weekly day of rest from Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall, marked by candle lighting, kiddush, festive meals, and rest from creative work.",
        "moreSlug": "where-to-start-your-first-shabbat"
      },
      "shulchan-aruch": {
        "term": "Shulchan Aruch",
        "hebrew": "שולחן ערוך",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Literally 'the set table' — the authoritative 16th-century code of Jewish law by Rabbi Yosef Karo, printed with the Ashkenazi glosses of Rabbi Moshe Isserles. It remains the baseline reference for halachic practice.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "talmud": {
        "term": "Talmud",
        "hebrew": "תלמוד",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The vast rabbinic work — the Mishnah together with the Gemara's discussion of it — that develops the Oral Torah into Jewish law and thought. It is the central text of Jewish study after the Bible itself.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-facts-the-talmud-in-one-article"
      },
      "talmud-bavli": {
        "term": "Talmud Bavli",
        "hebrew": "תלמוד בבלי",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The Babylonian Talmud, completed around 500 CE in the academies of Babylonia — the more extensive of the two Talmuds and the authoritative one for Jewish law.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-facts-the-talmud-in-one-article"
      },
      "torah": {
        "term": "Torah",
        "hebrew": "תּוֹרָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The Five Books of Moses — the scroll at the center of Jewish life — and, more broadly, the whole of Jewish teaching. 'Learning Torah' can mean anything from Chumash to Talmud.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "besamim": {
        "term": "besamim",
        "hebrew": "בְּשָׂמִים",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The fragrant spices inhaled during havdalah at Shabbat's close — a comfort to the soul, tradition says, as the day of rest departs.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "borei-peri-hagafen": {
        "term": "borei peri hagafen",
        "hebrew": "בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The blessing over wine and grape juice — '…who creates the fruit of the vine' — recited at kiddush, at weddings, and at the seder.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "havdalah": {
        "term": "havdalah",
        "hebrew": "הַבְדָּלָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The brief, beautiful ceremony over wine, spices, and a braided candle that marks the end of Shabbat and separates it from the ordinary week.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "hiddur-mitzvah": {
        "term": "hiddur mitzvah",
        "hebrew": "הִדּוּר מִצְוָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "\"Beautifying the mitzvah\" — the value of performing a commandment as beautifully as one can, from a lovely kiddush cup to an especially fine etrog.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "kiddush": {
        "term": "kiddush",
        "hebrew": "קִדּוּשׁ",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The blessing over wine that sanctifies Shabbat or a festival — and, by warm extension, the refreshments and socializing after services where community actually happens.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "mevushal": {
        "term": "mevushal",
        "hebrew": "מְבֻשָּׁל",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Literally 'cooked.' Kosher wine that has been briefly heated during production; it remains kosher for all purposes no matter who handles or pours it, which makes it common at mixed gatherings.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "mitzvah": {
        "term": "mitzvah",
        "hebrew": "מִצְוָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "A commandment — one of the Torah's 613 divine instructions, and by extension any religious duty or good deed. The plural is mitzvot.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-facts-the-613-mitzvot"
      },
      "netilat-yadayim": {
        "term": "netilat yadayim",
        "hebrew": "נְטִילַת יָדַיִם",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The ritual washing of the hands from a cup, done on waking and before eating bread, accompanied by its own blessing.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "reviit": {
        "term": "revi'it",
        "hebrew": "רְבִיעִית",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "A halachic liquid measure — roughly 3 to 4 fluid ounces — the minimum a kiddush cup must hold.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "sukkah": {
        "term": "sukkah",
        "hebrew": "סוכה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The temporary booth, roofed with cut branches, in which Jews eat (and some sleep) during the seven days of Sukkot, recalling the Israelites' wilderness dwellings.",
        "moreSlug": "going-deeper-deeper-judaica-sukkah"
      }
    }
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}