Description
This oil lamp was used for the lighting of the Sabbath lights at the entry of the holy day, traditionally performed by the mistress of the household before sunset. In modest households of North Africa, it took the form of a simple earthenware cup with several spouts, in which multiple wicks could be lit. Placed on a shelf or wall support, it provided the ritual and symbolic illumination of domestic peace (shalom bayit) during the Sabbath. A humble and ancient domestic object, the earthenware lamp testifies to the persistence of traditional forms of lighting in popular Maghrebi Judaism.
