Candle Lighting
CANDLE LIGHTING
187. A woman who was too ill to light Sabbath candles, is not required to light an extra candle in the future[300]. This also applies if she did not light candles because she was busy tending to her sick child or another sick person[301].
188. It is customary for a married woman to light candles with a blessing at the place where she will eat. Therefore a hospitalized woman or one who is in a convalescent home etc, should light candles at the dining table. If she is confined to bed she should light them by her bedside making sure that they will not be moved[302]. However, if there is no alternative they may be moved to the dining table after they have been lit[303]. If she is at home, it is preferable that her husband lights them by the dining table[304], or if necessary she may light them at her bedside and have them moved to the dining table[305].
189. If candles are either not available or not usable, an electric light may be turned on, prior to the commencement of the Sabbath or Festival, but without a blessing[306]. It is preferable to light a flashlight if available rather than an electric light[307]. If these are already lit, they must be extinguished and then relit specifically in honor of the Sabbath[308].
190. An ill woman who has lit candles by her bedside must be careful not to do anything (such as getting undressed or using a bedpan) in their presence which would profane the mitzvah[309]. See also paragraph 92.
191. The husband of a blind woman should light the Sabbath candles and recite the blessing. If she lives alone, she may light them and recite the blessing. If she lives with others who are also required to light candles, she should light candles without the blessing but try to hear it from another who bears her in mind during the recitation[310].
192. If a woman knows that she will not be able to benefit at night from the candles that she will light before the commencement of the Sabbath (for example she is due to have an urgent operation before nightfall and will only regain consciousness and return to her room after the candles have burnt out), and there is no other Jewish patient or person in the room who will benefit from their light, she should light them without a blessing[311].
[300] See Mishnah Berurah 263:7.
[301] Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata 43:5.
[302] Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata 45:6.
[303] Written communicaiton from R. Y.Y. Neuwirth.
[304] Mishnah Berurah 263:11.
[305] Mishnah Berurah 263:48; Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata 43:39.
[306] The authorities are divided on the use of electric lights for fulfilling the obligation of Shabbat candles. See Nishmat Avraham Pt. 1, Orach Chayyim 263:3 (page 108). Due to the doubt ensuing from this controversy, no blessing should be pronounced; Resp. Yabbia Omer Pt. 2, Orach Chayyim 17. But see Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata 43:4, which approves of the blessing.
[307] R. Sh.Z. Auerbach in Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata 43, note 22.
[308] Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata 43:32.
[309] Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata 43:41.
[310] Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata 43:10.
[311] R. Y.Y. Neuwirth in Nishmat Avraham Pt. 1, Orach Chayyim 263:4 (page 110). See Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata 43:17.