Shabbat, according to the Jewish calendar, is the seventh day of the week and is observed as a day of rest. It begins on Friday evening and, according to the teachings of the Talmud, requires a complete detachment from the concerns of everyday life. The strict rules that apply to followers of Judaism can only be broken in situations involving a threat to life or the care of the sick (Judaica in the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw, edited by E. Martyna, Warsaw 1993, p. 156).
The Sabbath is considered to be a special gift of God and at the same time a sign confirming the divine origin of the universe. The successive stages of the creation of the world culminated precisely on the Sabbath day, when God rested after completing his work. For Jews, this signifies the need to follow the Creator and to abstain from all daily activities.
Shabbat in the Jewish home begins with the lighting of candles a few minutes before sunset. The candles should be tall enough to burn for the entire Shabbat evening. The person lighting the candles – usually the lady of the house – spreads her hands over the flames and, in a circular motion, draws her hands together three times, hereby embracing the sanctity of the Sabbath. She then cover her eyes and pronounces a blessing over the candles.
The Shabbat candlestick from the Education and Museum Centre "Świętokrzyski Sztetl" collection is silver-plated and has a circular base, supported by four openwork legs with a vine motif. The body of the base is adorned with a meander band all around, divided by a Star of David inscribed within a meander circle. The edges of the base body are secured with a slightly upturned rim. The stem in the middle section is baluster-like and is adorned on both sides with flattened knops and rings of varying sizes. The baluster of the stem is decorated with a meander band. The candlestick is topped with a smooth socket for vase-shaped candles, with a pouring diameter of 3.84 cm. Above the rim, a maker's mark with the number 750 was stamped.