The idea of Shabbos candles
Question
I light my Shabbos candles and I realize that this is something very big and important. However, I don’t feel any emotional connection to this commandment. I’d be very happy to hear, how to connect to this emotionally, and to receive some information about this commandment.
Answer
I’ll try to give you a very short overview.
The commandment of lighting Shabbos candles is part of the obligation to honor Shabbos, and it’s also related to the idea of enjoying Shabbos.
The main obligation is that there be sufficient lighting in the place where you eat your Shabbos meal. (In the past, people didn’t necessarily have lighting when they ate their dinner on a weekday night.)
Our custom is to make a blessing specifically on candles or oil lamps, and not on an electric light. But lighting an electric light in the dining room in honor of Shabbos is also a part of the commandment. (There is a benefit in turning off the light in the dining room, and then turning it back on.)
In addition to that, the burning candles themselves confer an aura of joyfulness and decorum upon the Shabbos meal. Because of this, at a meal in honor of a circumcision, which is normally held at daytime, when there is plenty of light, it is also customary to light candles.
Wishing you a peaceful and blessed Shabbos
Source
Shulchan Oruch, section Orach Chaim, chapter 263