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 (see more in: https://www.chabadkrakow.org/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/1016318/jewish/wiece-szabatowe.htm, accessed on 24 February 2021).
A pair of silver Shabbat candlesticks presented here comes from the collection of the District Museum in Leszno. The bases of the candlesticks are quadrilateral-like in shape and supported by four legs. The shafts consist of two rings and an elongated knop with a candle sleeve and a bobèche. The bases and upper rings are adorned with a baroque ornament in the form of fleshy, stylised acanthus leaves. On the underside of the base, there are markings: the goldsmith's mark "Hossauer Berlin," the letter "C" in a round field indicating the hallmark from 1843-1850, a bear standing on its hind legs, and the letter "K" in a circle indicating the hallmark from 1821-1850. Below, there is an inscription: "12 ŁUTÓW" and a wriggle-mark. The owner's monogram "HK" is visible on one of the legs.
The candlesticks were purchased in 1993 from an antique shop on Grodziska Street (ul. Grodziska) in Poznań. According to oral accounts, they originate from one of the former Jewish residences in Poznań.
Dariusz Czwojdrak