Translation:Shulchan Aruch/Orach Chaim/263

​263ː Who Kindles the Lights; and if they Erred on a Cloudy Day. Contains 17 seifim.

1 One should take care to make a beautiful candle/lamp; and there are those who place two wicks, one corresponding to "Remember" and one corresponding to "Observe". Gloss: And one could add and light three or four candles, and such is the custom. The woman who one time forgot to light lights three candles all of her days (Mahari"l) because one could add to something that's corresponding to something else, so long as one will not decrease (Ashiri and Mordechai, Tractate Rosh Hashanah, beginning of Chapter "Yom Tob").

2 Both the men and the women must have in their houses an ignited lamp on the Sabbath; even if he has not what ​he should eat, he begs at the doors and buys oil and lights the lamp because this is within the generality of Sabbath Enjoyment.

3 The women are more responsible for it, since they are present in the home and engaged in the household needs. And if one lacks means to purchase a lamp for Shabbat and for kiddush for the day, the Shabbat lamp takes precedence. And similarly, if one lacks means to purchase a Shabbat lamp and a lamp for Hanukkah, the Shabbat lamp takes precedence because of peace of the home, since there is no peace at home without a lamp.

(And if one lacks means to purchase wine for kiddush and to purchase a lamp for Hanukkah, see later, Siman 678).

4 One should not hurry to kindle it while there is still much daylight left because then it is not evident that he's kindling it for the honor of Shabbat. And he should also not delay. And if one wants to kindle a light while there is still much daylight left and to accept upon himself Shabbat right away, he may; for since he accepts upon himself Shabbat right away, this is not early. And only provided that it should be from p'lag haminchah and onward, which is one hour and a quarter before nightfall. Gloss: And see later, Siman 267. And if the candle was ignited while there is still much daylight, one should extinguish it and light it again for the sake of Shabbat. (Tur).

5 When one will ignite, he should bless: "Blessed are You, H', our God, King of the World, Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to ignite the lamp of Sabbath" – both the man and the woman. Also on Holidays, one needs to bless, "to ignite the Holiday lamp". And on Yom Kippur without Sabbath, there is one who says that one should not bless, and see below, Siman 610. Gloss: There is one who says that we bless before the ignition and there is one who says that we bless after the ignition and bless (Mordechai, end of "With What do we Kindle"). And in order that it should be "before his act", he should not benefit from it until after the blessing; and we put the hand in front of the candle after the ignition, and we bless, and afterward we remove the hand — and this is called "before the act" and such is the practice. (Mahari"l).

6 Lads which go to learn away from their home need to ignite the Sabbath lamp in their room, and to bless over it, but one who is with his wife need not to ignite in his room and to bless over it because his wife blesses for his sake.

7 A guest that has no room to himself and for whom no candle is ignited in his home needs to participate via a p'rutah.

8 2 or 3 home-owners are eating in one place — there are those who say that each one blesses on his own candelabra. And there are those who fumble on the issue. And it is correct to be wary of ambiguous blessings, and none bar one should bless. (Gloss: But this is not our practice).

9 Those who ignite in the corners of the house and eat in the courtyard — if the candles are not long such that they remain ignited until the night, the blessing is in vain.

10 According to the author of Halakhos Gedolos, as soon as one lit the Sabbath lamp, the Sabbath is incumbent upon him and labor is prohibited for him. And based on this, some few women have the practice, that after they blessed and ignited the lamps, they throw down to the ground the match that's in their hand with which they have ignited and they don't extinguish it. And some say that if she stipulates before she will ignite that she is not accepting Sabbath ​until the cantor will say "Bless," it works. And some say that it does not work for her. And some dissent from the author of Halakhos Gedolos and say that the acceptance of Sabbath is not dependent on igniting the lamp but rather on the evening prayer, for as soon as the cantor says "Bless", all refrain from their labor; and for us, as soon as they began "A Psalm, a Song for the Sabbath Day," it is like "Bless" for them.

Gloss: And the practice is that that woman who ignites accepts the Sabbath with the ignition if she has not stipulated beforehand, and even a stipulation in the heart is enough. (Mordechai). But the rest of the house's residents are permitted labor until "Bless." And the essence of the ignition is dependent on the lamps that are ignited on the table but not on the rest of the lamps that are in the house. (Or Zarua). And it is necessary to leave the candles at the ignition site, and not to ignite them in this place and to move them to another place. (Mordechai, Chapter "With What do we Kindle").

11 Even though the community has not yet prayed, if the individual preceded and said the Sabbath prayers while it was still daytime, he has accepted the Sabbath and is prohibited from doing labor. And even if he says that he does not intend to accept the Sabbath.

12 If most of the community has accepted the Sabbath upon themselves, the minority is forcibly drawn after them.

13 A man that comes to a city on Sabbath Eve and already the people of the city have accepted Sabbath upon themselves – even though the day yet stretches, if he had upon him money or any object, he lets it fall.

14 If on a cloudy day a congregation erred and thought it has darkened and they ignited lamps and prayed the evening prayer of Sabbath, and afterwards, the clouds parted and the sun shone, they need not repeat the evening prayer if when they prayed it was from plag hamincha and onward. And if it was an individual that erred in this, he needs to repeat the evening prayer. And as regards the matter of doing labor – in both the case of the congregation and the individual – they are permitted, because the acceptance of Sabbath was in error. And some say that those who ignited lamps are prohibited from doing labor, and the rest of the house's residents are permitted. And some say that that lamp which was ignited for the Sabbath – it is prohibited to touch it and to add to it oil; even if it has extinguished, it is prohibited to move it.
​15 One who waited to pray the afternoon prayer on Sabbath Eve until the community has accepted Sabbath should not pray the afternoon prayer in that synagogue; rather he should go outside of that synagogue and pray the afternoon prayer of a weekday. And that is provided that one didn't accept Sabbath with them, but if he did answer and accept Sabbath with them, he cannot pray a weekday prayer but rather should pray the evening prayer twice.

16 If he arrives at a synagogue close to the acceptance by the congregation of Sabbath, he begins to pray the afternoon prayer and even though whilst he prays the congregation will accept Sabbath, this does not matter, since he has begun permissibly.

17 Some say that one who accepted the Sabbath upon himself before it darkened is permitted to instruct his fellow Jew to do labor for him.

Gloss: And it is permitted to benefit from that labor on the Sabbath, and even more so on Saturday night. And one delays the prayer on Saturday night, or that he continues his meal at night, ​may say to his fellow Jew, who has already prayed and recited havdalah, to do labor for himː to light for him lamps and to cook for him, and it is permitted to benefit and to eat of his labor – so it appears to me.