The Oil That Didn’t Burn 

As told to Mindel Kassorla

The Kleins loved having their grandfather come to visit them in Eretz Yisrael. When he returned to NY, he always left them with fond memories and a few gifts for the house — this time, a beautiful pair of candlesticks. Well, Shevy thought they were beautiful. They weren’t exactly Moshe’s taste; that kind of colorful tie-dye look which hinted at being off-the-beaten-path. He went for silver. But no matter; these would just be for guests.

The Kleins’ second bedroom was often occupied for Shabbos. This week, it was the Hirsches — a young American couple from Bayit Vegan. On Friday night, both couples would be eating out.

Just before candle lighting, Dina asked Shevy for tea lights. Shevy walked over to the breakfront and removed the tie-dye candles. “Why don’t you use these?” she suggested.

Moshe always did the candle setup. Tea lights Shevy could handle, but when it came to oil, she didn’t even know where they kept the wicks. Zaidy had told her that these candlesticks could be used with oil inserted directly into the glass grooves at the top of the candlesticks — no need for holders. They remembered Zaidy’s insistence that the candlesticks were fireproof, even though it seemed a bit strange. What were they made out of, anyway? But he said that the store owner had told him so. The two women lit their candles, and each couple left the apartment.