Chanukah is the celebration of the Jewish people coming from the darkness into the light. And since I work in the lighting business, I’ve been bringing folks into the light for more than 40 years!

I’ve seen so many changes in lighting technology over the decades, but nothing is like the development of the LED chip in lighting technology which has created incredible breakthroughs for everyone, and especially for the Orthodox Jewish community.

We are the “People of the Book,” but we also know it is hard to read a book, or sefer, on Shabbat, especially on these long winter Friday nights, unless you’ve got a really great light to read by without disturbing others.

When LED chip technology came out in desk lamps, I realized that it could be the foundation for a new kind of Shabbat lamp; one that would make reading on Shabbat easier than ever – an enhancement of one’s oneg Shabbat!

So I went to work developing a maneuverable, adjustable, lightweight and halachically acceptable Shabbat lamp that could be used worldwide. It would have to include many user-friendly features so that the lamp could be used not only on Shabbat, but all week – a truly versatile LED reading lamp. The lamp would also have to meet the highest worldwide safety standards for LED lighting.

Voilà – SHABBOSLITE® is born! The two SHABBOSLITE® models, table and clip-on,- have haskamas from leading rabbis both in Israel and the United States, who are respected for their technological and halachic know-how.

The way we’ve incorporated the LED chip technology into the design means that the printed text practically jumps off the page due to its clarity from the chips’ crisp white light. Everything is easier to read, from your favorite newspaper, to a sefer, book, or magazine.

Even kids are taking the lamp to camp, so they can read in their bunks on Shabbat and weeknights after lights out.

The E-Z Slide Shutter lets you mechanically “dim” the light or even simulate turning off the light on Shabbat. You can use your SHABBOSLITE® for reading, for ambient light, or even as a nightlight. I’ve never seen a lighting product so versatile and beneficial for the shomer Shabbat consumer.

We have been excited about the acceptance of our SHABBOSLITE® models by thousands of consumers worldwide in just the past 12 months

Indeed, Chanukah is the festival of lights. What more appropriate and useful gift could you give than the most wonderful, halachically-approved SHABBOSLITE® in the world today? It is the perfect Chanukah gift that will light up every Shabbat and Yom Tov all year round!

For more information, see the ad in this week’s issue, or to order, visit our website www.shabboslite.com.

Mark Blechner is the founder of Shabboslite®.