#40: Lighting Shabbat Candles in a Location with Electric Lights
- We have mentioned previously that the main reason for the mitzvah of lighting candles is to provide illumination for the meal, which fulfills kavod/oneg Shabbat. Contemporary poskim discuss how we can fulfill the mitzvah with candles today when they do not add significant light, given that we all use electric lights in our homes.
- Some poskim suggest turning off the electric lights and then turning them on shortly before lighting candles, so that they, too, will be included in the berachah and the mitzvah (R. Moshe Feinstein and R. Yaakov Kamenetsky, quoted in "Radiance of Shabbos," among others). Others suggest that the very fact the candles are lit exclusively for Shabbat and do not provide any additional lights, serves as kavod Shabbat. For this reason, one may recite a berachah upon them without turning the electric lights off and on (R. Moshe Sternbuch in Teshuvot Vhanhagot 1:272). This is the more common custom.
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Dedicated by Fran Broder as a zechus for the hostages to be released safely to their families and may everlasting peace come to Eretz Yisrael in the merit of learning Hilchos Shabbos.
