Sabbath mode (candles)
A setting for religious observance on the Sabbath and Jewish festivals: the appliance keeps cooling but switches off the things a door opening would trigger — the interior light, sounds and alarms, displays — and settings cannot be changed.
What the manuals say to do
Switch it on from the settings menu. It ends by itself after about 120 hours on both Miele and Liebherr. Make sure the doors are properly shut, because the door alarm is off.
What it does not mean
It does not stop the cooling, and it does not warn you of anything: power failures and temperature alarms are not shown while it runs, so Miele says to check the quality of the food after a power cut.
Makes differ, check your fridge’s manual: the same drawing can mean different things on different brands, and only your model’s manual says exactly what a button does, what temperature it sets and when it switches itself off.
- What it looks like
- Two candles (Miele) or a candlestick with several candles (Liebherr) in the display or settings menu.
- Names used
- Sabbath mode (Miele); SabbathMode (Liebherr)
Where makers differ
Liebherr says the defrost cycle then only runs at a set time and that the appliance returns to SabbathMode after a power cut. Miele keeps other functions that were on before.
Other symbols with the same shapes
Sources
No public standard defines this panel symbol, so its meaning is taken from the manuals of 2 different maker groups (Miele, Liebherr), each fetched and read on the date shown:
- Miele: Miele — Operating instructions, fridge-freezer, M.-Nr. 11 746 390 (PDF) — “If Sabbath mode is switched on … you cannot make any settings … visual and audible alarms are switched off … will switch off automatically after approx. 120 hours.” Deactivated: interior lighting, all audible and visual signals, temperature display; power failures are not indicated. Checked 2026-09-27.
- Liebherr: Liebherr — User guide, built-in combined fridge-freezer HCB 1060 (7086622-03, 2021-04-09, PDF hosted by a Liebherr parts store) — “This function meets the religious requirements of the Sabbath or Jewish festivals … you no longer need to worry about indicator lights, figures, symbols, displays, alarms, or fans … Sabbath mode switches off automatically after 120 hours.” Checked 2026-09-27.
Written in our own words; quotations are the regulation’s or the makers’ wording.