History of Shabbat Candles in Cappadocia
To bring in the Jewish Sabbath, Shabbat candlesare lit on Friday evening just before sunset. It is a rabbinically prescribed law to light candles on Shabbat. Candle lighting is customarily done by the head of the home, but when she is not there, a male performs the task. The lighter covers their eyes and offers a blessing after lighting the candles.
When it comes to ancient customs, Shabbat candles Cappadocia are somewhat of a classic of the region. The Torah prevents Jews from igniting a fire on Shabbat, thus burning candles on the night before Shabbat begins allows us to see through the darkness while we eat Shabbat meal, which was their original purpose. The history of the practice has grown increasingly obscure with the development of electricity, but there is beauty in the mystique. The act itself has significance.
Judaism in Cappadocia
It is frequently cited in the Talmud and the Midrash and was also known to the Jews in its Greek version. From the Taurus to the Euxine and from the Halys to the Euphrates, the Roman province of Cappadocia was located. When Ariarathes, king of Cappadocia, was asked by the Romans to preserve cordial ties with the Jews of Cappadocia in light of the contract between the Hasmoneans and Rome, the first Jewish colony there is thought to have been established in the second century B.C.E.
Later, Jews from Cappadocia lived in Jaffa, Sepphoris, and Jerusalem. The grave of a Cappadocian flax merchant is mentioned in an inscription on a gravestone discovered in Jaffa. There are two Cappadocian sages mentioned who lived in Erez Israel. The fact that the sages allowed the Cappadocian Jews to use naphtha for their Sabbath lamps because no other oil was accessible to them shows that they were familiar with the conditions of life for Jews in Cappadocia.