Once a wise king wished to marry off his favorite daughter. He devised a contest to establish which eligible bachelor would qualify for this tremendous privilege. The king announced that anyone who wanted to marry the princess must report to the palace and fill up a room with a light substance, in a short amount of time.

The first brave contestant approached the palace with garbage bags full of feathers. He strove valiantly to fill the large room with feathers, but time ran short and he failed.

The next day, another suitor attempted to quickly fill the room – this time with delicate silk. Time ran out again, and he too left the palace disappointed.

The contest continued day after day, as hundreds of contestants hoped to pass the test and win the king’s daughter, but no one succeeded. The king began to despair. Wasn’t anyone in the kingdom qualified to marry the beautiful princess?

One day, a young man arrived at the palace empty-handed. The king wondered how this boy planned to win the contest.

Entering the room, the young contestant put out the lights. He reached into his pocket, retrieved a small candle and lit it. The light spread throughout the entire room, illuminating the darkness. The king rejoiced at finding the perfect match for his precious daughter.

—Heard from Rabbi Tzemach Cunin

Comment:

The Rebbe has revealed the secrets to bring Moshiach. One of the Rebbe’s campaigns is that every Jewish woman and girl, from the age of three, should light a Shabbos candle with a blessing. This small light spreads throughout the world, shedding spiritual light on our generation and dispelling the forces of darkness.

“All the darkness in the world cannot even extinguish a small candle.”

“A Mitzva, like a pebble tossed in a pond, ripples on and on.”