Shabbat part 3

It's now time to light candles. The Talmud simply says that their purpose is "Shalom Bayit" (Peace in the Home). In an era before artificial lighting, eating a festive dinner would need to be in the dark. The candles would provide the aura of a gentle glow, making a loving feeling between husband and wife, parents and children. Medieval rabbis are divided between those who see candles as part of the mitzvah of Oneg Shabbat (delight of Shabbat), or of Kvod Shabbat (honor of Shabbat). Candles were often lit in honor of a distinguished guest. Shabbat is a distinguished guest! Some rabbis, and most historians, see another reason. The Torah commands (Exodus 35:3) "Do not burn a fire in all your habitations on the Sabbath Day" The word "Burn" (ba'er) can also mean "to kindle", and in that sense is it understood in the Oral Torah (interestingly, nearly all Christian Bibles also translate it that way). But the ancient Sadducee heresy. along with the Samaritans, together with the seventh century Karaite heresy (NOT the online variety), interpreted the verse in the sense of not allowing a fire to burn into Shabbat. Therefore, according to this view, the main reason for lighting candles before Shabbat is to distinguish us from those who sit in the dark (in more ways than one), in their freezing cold homes, eating cold food. The question then arises if we may use electric lights for Shabbat candles. Rabbi Y. Abadi holds that since the main purpose of the candles is to have light in the home, electric is even better than candles. (My daughter Simcha, who is married to Rabbi Abadi's great-nephew, says the blessing on the electric lights). Rabbi Ovadia Yosef preferred candles, but said "we have insufficient sources to say that electric lights are not valid for this purpose". On the other hand, Rabbi Yosef Kappah, opined that electric lights are not valid, as it is not sufficiently "fire" to show contempt for the ways of the heretics.(As you know by now, it is these three men whom I consider the greatest halachists of recent centuries.Please do not ask me "how about Rabbi so and so?" My answer will still be the same). Actually, there is a question as to what the obligation actually is. The Talmud merely says to light the candles. No blessing is mentioned. Afterwards, in Geonic times, a blessing was instituted. According to RAMBAM, the mitzvah is to HAVE light, not PRODUCE light. So, if candles are already burning one may leave them for Shabbat, and that would be sufficient. Otherwise, we must say a blessing and light one or more candles. RABBENU TAM (the greatest of the Tosafists), understood that it is a mitzvah to light in honor of Shabbat. So an existing candle must be extinguished, and lit anew in honor of Shabbat, while reciting a blessing. Sepharadic candle lighting is very different from what you are used to. The lady of the house says the blessing and THEN lights. In most cases, she will first extinguish all other light sources, say the blessing on the Shabbat candles, light them, and put back on any desired electric lights. Then, she will make an oral declaration that she accepts the sanctity of Shabbat. The Ashkenazi practice is that since women generally accept Shabbat with the lighting, no blessing mentioning Shabbat should be said until AFTER the candles are lit, as they might be inadvertently accepting Shabbat with that blessing. They then cover their eyes until after the blessing (most make various elegant hand movements) and only then look at the flames. They consider this a fulfillment of the rabbinic edict that a blessing must ALWAYS precede a mitzvah. The sole exception is the blessing on the immersion of a convert. Before they immerse, they are not yet Jewish! The sources say that after the immersion, they should step out of the mikveh, cover their bodies and say the blessing. Ashkenazi tradition does this in the case not only of a convert, but also in areas where a blessing before might be problematic. Even Sepharadic tradition has mostly accepted one additional case; reciting the blessing of washing the hands only after washing. When I spoke with Rabbi Ovadia Yosef about becoming Sepharadic (in 1991), he asked me if my wife says the blessing before or after candles. I replied "Before, of course! The way one is required!". He smiled broadly, and I was in! If no woman is in the home, a man recites the blessing on the candles. If a man is away from home (as on a business trip), he should likewise light and say the blessing. (in a hotel, I say the blessing over an electric light). If one is a guest, the lighting of the lady of the house is sufficient. There was a major dispute between the Lubavitcher Rebbe and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef on this point. Rabbi Ovadia insisted that after one candle is lit, no one else may recite a blessing on their Shabbat candles. So, if another family is visiting, only one woman says the blessing for everyone. In Ashkenazic tradition, each woman lights with a blessing, even at the same table. When we have Ashkenazi guests, and we know that the wife will feel badly about not lighting her own candles, we allow her to light for all of us, and Sima then refrains. On this basis, Rav Ovadia objected to the Lubavitcher "Candle Campaign", in which girls as young as three light, with the adult woman lighting afterwards. According to the Sepharadic understanding, this completely invalidates the Mother's lighting. and makes her blessing to be in vain. Customs differ for the number of candles, as well as the time of lighting. We must add "from the profane on to the holy",(start Shabbat well before Sundown) besides the prohibition of kindling fire on Shabbat. The most common custom is eighteen minutes before Sundown, but traditions go from ten to forty minutes before Sundown. In certain cases, we may light even earlier. So what are the men doing while this is going on? Next time.