Shabbat candles

From Halachipedia

Who's obligated?

  1. Men and women are obligated in candle lighting. However, the Minhag of Klal Yisrael is have the women of the house light. [1]

With what to light

  1. It's preferable to light with olive oil, if one doesn't have olive oil, the next best is all other oils that burn with a clear flame, and lastly, wax candles are also acceptable. [2]
  2. If no candles are available one may light with electric bulbs (incandescent) and make a bracha. [3]

Time to light candles

  1. One should light Shabbat candles a "short hour" before Shekiyah each place according to its minhag. If there's no minhag in that place, one should light a half hour before shekiyah or at least 20 minutes. [4]
  2. One should make sure to light close to Shabbat so that it's recognizable that one is lighting for Kavod Shabbat, however, if one accepts Shabbat early one may light as early as Plag HaMincha. [5]

The Bracha

  1. A man should have the match ready in hand, make the bracha, and then light the candles; however, women should light the candles, and then make the bracha while covering her eyes or the flame so as not to benefit from the light. [6]

References

  1. ↑ S"A 263:2 writes that there's an obligation on men and women to have a light lit in their house on Shabbat. Nonetheless, S"A 263:3 adds that preferably women should light. See there and Mishna Brurah 263:12 for the reasons.
  2. ↑ S"A 264:6 writes that olive oil is preferable to other oils and Mishna Brurah 264:23 adds that wax candles are inferior to oil candles. So rules Shemirat Shabbat KeHilchata 43:4 and Yalkut Yosef (Shabbat vol 1 pg 187).
  3. ↑ Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata 43:4 rules that one has what to rely on to make the bracha on an electric bulb with the qualification that it's lit for kavod shabbat. Rav Ovadyah Yosef (Yalkut Yosef Shabbat vol 1 pg 188, Yabea Omer OC 2:17) agrees that one can make a bracha on it but emphasizes that it's a last option and that preferably one should have a designation that the bulb is for Shabbat candles.
  4. ↑ Mishna Brurah 261:23 writes that one should stop doing melacha a half hour or at least 20 minutes before Melacha. Shemirat Shabbat KeHilchata 43:11 writes that this amount of time is when one should light candles. See Shemirat Shabbat KeHilchata (43 note 57) where he discusses the minhag in Yerushalim to light 40 minutes before Shekiyah.
  5. ↑ S"A 263:4
  6. ↑ Rama 263:5 writes that the minhag was to light and then make the bracha while covering the flame so as not to benefit from the flame before making the bracha. Buir Halacha D"H Achar Hadlaka brings a dispute whether a man does the same process as a women or not. Shemirat Shabbat KeHilchata 43:30 rules that a man should first make the bracha and then light.
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