Lighting the candles and performing Kiddush ushers in the Sabbath. However, it is the spice box, or Besamin, that provides a means of comfort as the Sabbath draws to an end.

Dried cardamom, cloves, orange and lemon peel, evoke our sense of smell, the most spiritual of the senses. The fragrant spices, wafting from the Besamin chamber, help make the transition from a day of rest, to the workweek ahead.