There is a midrash which says that Sarah started the custom of lighting candles on Shabbat. When she died, no one lit Shabbat candles in Avraham's tent - until Rivka married Yitzchak. Rivka brought back the Shabbat lights to Avraham and Yitzchak.

From then until today, Shabbat has begun just before sunset on Friday night with the lighting of the Shabbat candles.

One should light at least two candles, one for "ZACHOR" and one for "SHAMOR". There is also a custom to light candles for each member of the family.

Usually, it is the woman who does the lighting, in the tradition of Sarah and Rivka. A bracha, a blessing, is said when the candles are lit:

In Hebrew:

We first light the candles and then make the blessing. The custom is to cover the eyes with the hands when making the blessing, and to look at the lit candles only when the blessing is finished. In this way we fulfill the Mitzva of "over Laasiyatan" as if the blessing had been said before the candles were lit.

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