Virtual Shabbat Candle Lighting Every Friday | Light Up Shabbat

Virtual Shabbat Candle Lighting

Every Friday evening the world gets a little quieter, and a little brighter. That is the moment our virtual Shabbat candle lighting was made for. Every Friday at 6:00 PM, I light two candles on my screen, you light two candles wherever you are, and for just a few minutes, we are not scattered. We are together.

We call it Light Up Shabbat, and it is the most peaceful ten minutes of my week.

What Is Light Up Shabbat?

Light Up Shabbat is Neshamah’s weekly virtual Shabbat candle lighting, held every Friday at 6:00 PM on Zoom.

I lead a short, warm gathering: we light candles, we say the blessing together, and we take a breath before the weekend begins. There is no sermon, no service to follow along with, and nothing you need to prepare. You show up exactly as you are, candles ready or not, and we light up Shabbat together.

This is one of the simplest things we do at Neshamah, and also one of the most meaningful. Shabbat candle lighting is one of the oldest rituals in Jewish life. Traditionally, it marks the moment a home transitions from the busyness of the week into the rest of Shabbat. Doing it together online does not change the power of that moment. If anything, it reminds us that community was never really about being in the same room. It is about showing up for each other, even from a distance.

Why We Do This Every Week

I started Light Up Shabbat because I kept hearing the same thing from people in our community: “I want to do more Jewish, but I do not always have the time or the knowledge.”

Some people live far from family. Some are newer to Jewish practice and feel unsure doing it alone. Some simply miss the feeling of lighting candles in a room full of people who are doing the same thing at the same time.

Our virtual Shabbat candle lighting solves for all of that. You do not need to belong to a synagogue. You do not need to know the blessing by heart. You do not need any experience. You just need ten minutes and a willingness to pause.

I have joined this gathering from my dining room, my office, and I have also led it from airports, from the car, and from hotel rooms on the road. Shabbat does not wait for ideal circumstances, and neither do we.

How to Join

Joining our virtual Shabbat candle lighting is simple:

1. When: Every Friday at 6:00 PM
2. Where: On Zoom, from anywhere in the world
3. What to bring: Two candles, a match or lighter, and yourself. If you do not have candles handy, come anyway. Watching and saying the blessing along with us still counts.
4. RSVP: None needed. The link is the same every week, so once you have it, you are set for good.

You can find the current Zoom link on our Shabbat page at niboca.org. Bookmark it and we’ll be ready for your on Friday, Erev Shabbat.

A Ritual That Travels With You

One of the things I love most about Light Up Shabbat is how flexible it is without losing any of its meaning. You can join from your kitchen table with your kids tugging at your sleeve. You can join from a dorm room in your first year away from home. You can join from another country entirely, watching the sun set at a completely different hour than we are. 

I especially love seeing where our congregants are zooming in from and how Shabbat can be present for a few minutes no matter where and what is happening in their lives.

If you have been wanting a way back into Jewish ritual, or a way to start for the first time, this is it. There is no test to pass and no Hebrew you need to know in advance. Just two candles and the simple act of saying: this week is over, and something gentler begins now.

I hope you will light up Shabbat with us this Friday. Wherever you are, there is a seat for you here.

With love and blessings,

Rabbi Amy