Ask the Rabbi

  • Shabbat and Holidays
  • Candle Lighting

lighting shabbos candles

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Rabbi Yoel Lieberman

Tevet 25, 5779
Question
I will be staying in a hotel for a Simcha. I won’t be partaking of the food; therefore I will be making eating in my hotel room. Can I rely on the candlelighting of the women partaking in the Simcha? Or do I need to light in my hotel room? My family is primarily non-observant, and they might be concerned about the safety/legality of lighting candles in the hotel room. What do you suggest? Blessings.
Answer
ב"ה Shalom, The best place to light is in the place you are eating. To avoid the slightest possibility of a fire hazard, you should light on something sturdy and fire resistant, such as aluminum foil and you should not leave the candles unattended. If there are legal issues of lighting in the room, you can rely upon the opinions that say you can fulfill the mitzvah of Shabbat candle lighting with electric bulbs when you do so with the intention of them as Shabbat candles. You may say the Bracha too.. (Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata Vol. II, chapter 43: 4, 32) . However, there are different opinions if you may say a Bracha on the currently used LED bulbs which don't have a filament. Therefore, it is best not to the say the Bracha. (See Pninei Halacha, Candle lighting 4:5). As a word of caution, I should add that, going to a hotel involves other issues such as electronic keys, motion sensors, and lights on in the fridge, and sometimes there are even electronics in the bathrooms which you must be aware of. All the Best
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