(א) בַּמֶּה מַדְלִיקִין וּבַמָּה אֵין מַדְלִיקִין. אֵין מַדְלִיקִין לֹא בְלֶכֶשׁ, וְלֹא בְחֹסֶן, וְלֹא בְכָלָךְ, וְלֹא בִפְתִילַת הָאִידָן, וְלֹא בִפְתִילַת הַמִּדְבָּר, וְלֹא בִירוֹקָה שֶׁעַל פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם.
With what may one light the Shabbat lamp, and with what may one not light it? Not with cedar bast [lekhesh], nor with uncombed flax [ḥosen], nor with raw silk [kalakh], nor with willow bast [petilat ha’idan], nor with desert weed [petilat hamidbar], nor with green moss that is on the surface of the water.
וְלֹא בִּפְתִילַת הָאִידָן — אַחְוִינָא. רָבִין וְאַבָּיֵי הֲווֹ קָאָזְלִי בְּפַקְתָּא דְטַמְרוּרִיתָא. חֲזַנְהִי לְהָנְהוּ אַרְבָתָא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ רָבִין לְאַבָּיֵי: הַיְינוּ אִידָן דִּתְנַן. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: הַהִיא עֵץ בְּעָלְמָא הוּא! קְלַף וְאַחְוִי לֵיהּ עַמְרָנִיתָא דְּבֵינֵי בֵּינֵי.
Ravin and Abaye were walking in the valley of Tamrurita. They saw willow trees. Ravin said to Abaye: This is the "idan" that we learned about in the mishna. Abaye said to him: But this is just wood (which is bad for wicks)! Ravin peeled the bark and showed him the wool-like substance between the bark and the tree.
תָּנָא: הוֹסִיפוּ עֲלֵיהֶן שֶׁל צֶמֶר וְשֶׁל שֵׂעָר. וְתַנָּא דִידַן: צֶמֶר מִכְווֹץ כָּוֵויץ, שֵׂעָר אִיחֲרוֹכֵי מִיחֲרַךְ.
GEMARA:...It was taught: The Sages added wool and hair to the list of prohibited wicks. The mishna did not mention these because it's so obvious that wool shrivels and hair is scorched.
וְלֹא בְזֶפֶת, וְלֹא בְשַׁעֲוָה, וְלֹא בְשֶׁמֶן קִיק, וְלֹא בְשֶׁמֶן שְׂרֵפָה, וְלֹא בְאַלְיָה, וְלֹא בְחֵלֶב. נַחוּם הַמָּדִי אוֹמֵר, מַדְלִיקִין בְּחֵלֶב מְבֻשָּׁל. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, אֶחָד מְבֻשָּׁל וְאֶחָד שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְבֻשָּׁל, אֵין מַדְלִיקִין בּוֹ:
With regard to oils: neither with pitch [zefet], nor with wax [sha’ava], nor with castor oil [shemen kik], nor with burnt oil [shemen sereifa], nor with sheep’s tail fat [alya], nor with tallow [ḥelev]...
אָמַר רַבָּה: פְּתִילוֹת שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים אֵין מַדְלִיקִין בָּהֶן בְּשַׁבָּת, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהָאוּר מְסַכְסֶכֶת בָּהֶן. שְׁמָנִים שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים אֵין מַדְלִיקִין בָּהֶן, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵין נִמְשָׁכִין אַחַר הַפְּתִילָה.
Rabba said: Those wicks which the Sages prohibited for Shabbat candle lighting, the reason is: Because the fire flickers on them. Those oils which the Sages prohibited for Shabbat candle lighting, the reason is: Because they aren't effectively absorbed by the wick.
רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל אוֹמֵר, אֵין מַדְלִיקִין בְּעִטְרָן, מִפְּנֵי כְבוֹד הַשַּׁבָּת. וַחֲכָמִים מַתִּירִין בְּכָל הַשְּׁמָנִים, בְּשֶׁמֶן שֻׁמְשְׁמִין, בְּשֶׁמֶן אֱגוֹזִים, בְּשֶׁמֶן צְנוֹנוֹת, בְּשֶׁמֶן דָּגִים, בְּשֶׁמֶן פַּקּוּעוֹת, בְּעִטְרָן וּבְנֵפְט. רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן אוֹמֵר, אֵין מַדְלִיקִין אֶלָּא בְשֶׁמֶן זַיִת בִּלְבָד:
Rabbi Yishmael says that one may not light with tar [itran] in deference to Shabbat because tar smells bad and disturbs those in the house. And the Rabbis permit lighting with all oils; with sesame oil, with nut oil, with turnip oil, with fish oil, with gourd oil, with tar, and even with naphtha [neft]. Rabbi Tarfon says: One may light only with olive oil.
(ד) לֹא יִקֹּב אָדָם שְׁפוֹפֶרֶת שֶׁל בֵּיצָה וִימַלְאֶנָּה שֶׁמֶן וְיִתְּנֶנָּה עַל פִּי הַנֵּר בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁתְּהֵא מְנַטֶּפֶת, אֲפִלּוּ הִיא שֶׁל חֶרֶס. וְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה מַתִּיר. אֲבָל אִם חִבְּרָהּ הַיּוֹצֵר מִתְּחִלָּה, מֻתָּר, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא כְלִי אֶחָד.
לֹא יְמַלֵּא אָדָם אֶת הַקְּעָרָה שֶׁמֶן וְיִתְּנֶנָּה בְצַד הַנֵּר וְיִתֵּן רֹאשׁ הַפְּתִילָה בְתוֹכָהּ, בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁתְּהֵא שׁוֹאֶבֶת. וְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה מַתִּיר:
A person may not pierce a hole in an eggshell and fill it with oil, and place it over the mouth of a lamp so that the egg will drip more oil into the lamp. And this is even if it is just a clay vessel....However, if the craftsman attached the egg to the lamp from the outset, one is permitted to fill it with oil because it is a single, large vessel.
A person may not fill a bowl with oil, and place it beside the lamp, and place the top of the wick into the bowl so that it draws additional oil from the bowl. Rabbi Yehuda permits.
For starters, there were the imagined enemies. The darkness, pitch black and impenetrable, was the realm of the hobgoblin, the sprite, the will-o'-the-wisp, the boggle, the kelpie, the boggart and the troll. Witches, obviously, were "abroad." If you were seriously unlucky, you could run into Satan himself....
Then there were the real enemies. For the night was also the realm of the criminal: the vandal, the thief, the murderer. The philosopher Thomas Hobbes's greatest fear was "being knockt on the head for five or 10 [dollars]"....
For before artificial lighting, indoors was just as treacherous as outdoors: in Sweden, it was common practice to push the furniture against the walls before retiring to bed, so you wouldn't bump into it if you rose in the middle of the night.
הָיָה לְפָנָיו נֵר בֵּיתוֹ וְנֵר חֲנֻכָּה אוֹ נֵר בֵּיתוֹ וְקִדּוּשׁ הַיּוֹם נֵר בֵּיתוֹ קוֹדֵם מִשּׁוּם שְׁלוֹם בֵּיתוֹ שֶׁהֲרֵי הַשֵּׁם נִמְחָק לַעֲשׂוֹת שָׁלוֹם בֵּין אִישׁ לְאִשְׁתּוֹ. גָּדוֹל הַשָּׁלוֹם שֶׁכָּל הַתּוֹרָה נִתְּנָה לַעֲשׂוֹת שָׁלוֹם בָּעוֹלָם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי ג יז) "דְּרָכֶיהָ דַרְכֵי נֹעַם וְכָל נְתִיבֹתֶיהָ שָׁלוֹם":
If a [poor] person must choose between Sabbath lights and Hanukkah lights...the lighting of his home takes priority, so as to make peace in the house ...Great is peace, since the entire Torah has been given to create peace in the world, as it is written: "Its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace" (Proverbs 3:17).