Shabbat, Sepharadi Style part 2

We will first encounter a difference between an Ashkenazi and Sepharadi Shabbat already with candle lighting. Among Ashkenazim, the last thing that the lady of the house does before Shabbat begins, is to light the candles. With the blessing on the candles, she accepts Shabbat and may do no more "melachah" (labors). However, we have a halachic principle, that a blessing is always said BEFORE a mitzvah is done. The sole exception to this mentioned in Talmud, is the immersion of a convert. Before the immersion, the convert was not Jewish, and thus unable to say the blessing as a Jew. The Talmud says that he or she should immerse, come out of the water, put on some clothing, and recite the blessing without delay. But since Ashkenazi women accept Shabbat with the blessing, reciting it before candle lighting would mean that she can no longer light. The accepted practice is to light first, then cover her eyes, and only afterwards look at the candles. The vast majority of Sepharadic authorities have great problems with this procedure. First of all, there is no Talmudic basis for saying that Shabbat begins with the blessing, or even with the lighting. That is an idea that first is suggested in medieval Franco-Germany. In fact, even the Ashkenazi rule is that if a man is lighting candles, in the situation where no woman is present in the home, he is to first say the blessing, light, and sometime between the lighting and sundown, accept upon himself the sanctity of Shabbat. He may even drive to the synagogue (as long as the Sun has not yet set), and accept Shabbat when he gets there. Similarly, Sepharadic women first say the blessing, then light, and shortly afterwards make a declaration of accepting Shabbat. Moreover, most (but not all) Sepharadic rabbis insist on extinguishing the electric lights in the room, and only then bless on the candles and light, putting the electric lights back on once the candles are lit. The reason for this being, that the primary function of the Shabbat candles is to have light in the home on the eve of Shabbat. If the electric lights are on, there is already light, and the candle is then superfluous. In fact, most Sepharadic rabbis agree that the electric lights can also serve a Shabbat "candles". Therefore, we turn of the electric lights, recite the blessing, light the candles, and only then put the electric lights back on. One Sepharadic posek (halachic decisor), Rabbi Yitzchak Abadi, considers the electric lights to be the main "candles", recommending that the blessing should be said on them, and only afterwards lighting actual candles, which then becomes only a custom.Most Sepharadic authorities consider the recitation of the blessing after lighting as the grave sin of a blessing in vain. Ashkenazim would counter that custom trumps law; an idea  nowhere to be found in the Babylonian Talmud.,In practice, some Sepharadic communities have accepted the Ashkenazic custom, while some Ashkenazim have gone over to the Sepharadic practice. But most follow in the guidelines I have described., When I went to Rabbi Ovadia Yosef in 1991 to inquire if I could become Sepharadic, he asked me how my wife blesses on the candles. I said "before lighting, as is proper!". He smiled, and welcomed me into the Serpharadic fold.