Shabbos Candles

Question:

Where is the proper place to light Shabbos Candles?

Discussion:

The best place to light Shabbos Candles is on or near the table where one will be eating the Shabbos meal (Rema 263:10; M.B. 45). If this is not possible then the candles should be lit in a place where someone will benefit from their light (M.B. 48). This becomes an issue on Succos since some may not feel comfortable lighting in their succah. In such a situation one should make sure to light them as above.

Even though the best place to light Shabbos Candles is at the table, there is a hiddur mitzvah to have lights on in any room that will be used over Shabbos. If one does not want to have a light on in his bedroom then a hall light should be left on.

Question:

I am eating out for the Friday night meal, what is the proper procedure for lighting the Shabbos Candles?

Discussion:  

The proper place to light the Shabbos Candles in this situation is where you are sleeping (assuming the hostess is lighting candles at the meal). However, the one lighting must derive some benefit from the candles. Therefore, she should daven by the light of the candles before she leaves to the meal. Another option is to make sure the candles will still be burning when you come back home. Again, one should do something by the light of the candles i.e. eat something (Mishneh Halachos 5:41; Rav Moshe Feinstein).

If a person is staying at someone’s house for the entire Shabbos then technically they can fulfill their obligation with the hostess. However, the accepted custom is for the wife to light as well.

Can I use electric lights for Shabbos Candles?

Question:

Can I fulfill the obligation of Shabbos candles with electric lights?

Discussion:

Many poskim say that using electric lights is just as good as lighting with a candle and one is even permitted to make a bracha on them lichatchela (among them are Rav C.O. Grodzenski). However, there are poskim (Rav Moshe zt”l among others) that are of the opinion that one should not use electric lights to fulfill the mitzvah. Even according to this opinion if one is in a situation where they have no choice but to use electric lights one should use them but without reciting a bracha.  

A question which arises according to the first opinion is if I can fulfill my obligation with electric lights then why am I allowed to make a bracha on my “Shabbos Candles” if I have regular lights on in the house since these “Shabbos Candles” are not adding anything to my oneg Shabbos? One solution that is given to this problem is to shut off the lights in the room where you are lighting candles and then turn them on again with the intention of the mitzvah. One can then make the bracha on both the candles and the lights (both Rav Moshe and Rav Yaakov zt”l held this way). Another similar option is to first light the candles and then have someone else turn on the regular lights this way at the time of lighting the candles were a necessity (Rav S.Z. Aurebach zt”l).

There are some poskim that say that lighting candles themselves are a part of kavod Shabbos since one shows honor to Shabbos by lighting candles; similar to the way we light candles when we invite guests or at other affairs. Therefore one is permitted to make a bracha on them (Klausenberger Rav zt”l). A similar idea is that since custom has attached value to lighting special candles for Shabbos it becomes part of honoring Shabbos to light them. Therefore, a bracha may be recited (Rav Moshe Shternbauch shlit”a).