With what may we light [the Sabbath lamp], and with what may we not light? We may light neither with cedar bast, nor with uncarded flax, nor with floss silk, nor with willow bast, nor with desert fiber, nor with sea moss; nor [may we light] with pitch, nor with wax, nor with cottonseed oil, nor with oil that must be burnt, nor with [fat from] a sheep’s tail, nor with tallow. Nachum the Mede says: We may light with boiled tallow. But the Sages say: Whether boiled or not boiled, we may not light with it.

We may not light with oil that must be burnt, on Yom Tov. R’ Yishmael says: We may not light with tar, because of honor due the Sab-bath. But the Sages permit [lighting] with all oils: [namely,] with sesame oil, with nut oil, with radish oil, with fish oil, with colocynth oil, with tar, or with naphtha. R’ Tarfon says: We may light only with olive oil.