Do you bentch lict on the dining room table?

shopaholic

Mon, Apr 24 2006, 12:56 pm

I always light at the table. Before we bought our big table, I didn't have room if we had a lot of guests so I had to light in the Kitchen once in a while. I wasn't too happy though, becuse I know it's better to light at the table where we eat. DH always told me that he's supposed to see the candles when he makes kiddush. He is supposed to glance at them as he makes borei peri hagofen.

Shabbos morning, though, we move them off so the kids don't mess with them., They know not to touch when they are lit.

miriam

Mon, Apr 24 2006, 1:10 pm

brooklyn wrote:

I light mine on the DR table. I feel it makes the shabbat meal so much more special. My children are so used to it I don't worry about them touching them. It is just part of the Shabbat table to them.

Ditto

yrs1025

Tue, Apr 25 2006, 10:16 am

The only time the candles are not on the dining room table is when we have a lot of company. Then the candles go on the marble shelf by the table.

MommyLuv

Tue, Apr 25 2006, 7:51 pm

I would love to keep my candlesticks on my table-I think its so beautiful when theyre all aglow for shabbos....but our table is kinda small and theres not much room for food platters if I kept them there. I keep them on a side table nearby and leave them there all week..and yes they gte very tarnished being out all the time.. til I roll up my sleeves and polish them!!
someday when we get a bigger dining room table, I want to go back to that "Shabbos table fri night look".

miriamnechama

Sun, Jul 22 2007, 2:43 pm

not anymore we used to but with the damgers of the kids around.. and the halichic problems... it more the danger... I've had enough of an experince with a neighbour that I wouldn't put them on the table any more but on an unused stender. I won't even light in the sukka anymore (I never did) 3 years ago we had this massive fire by my neighbour tha burnt her whole sukka... and almost burnt ours and could have caused an electrical fire, (and more damage than was done) ( I had something in the electricity then) bechasdei hashem noone was hurt, but damage was done... so now I'm etra careful!! even cigarettes I don't allow anymore in the sukka.

Mevater

Sun, Jul 22 2007, 3:05 pm

chocolate moose wrote:

...... so I was wondering about moving it to the d.r. table......What does everyone else do?

I once called R' Blumenkrantz A"H to ask if I can buy a piece of furniture from an Arab. Then I mentioned to him that I wanted it to hold my Leichter very close to the table. His answer was, I'm OK with buying furniture from an Arab (gasoline is from Arabs), but Leichters belong ON the Dining Room table. Since then I keep my Leichter on the DR table except for Shevuos, when I eat dairy AND fleishig meals on the same table and I have to be able to change the tablecloths. Many people have a separate table though.

greenfire

Sun, Jul 22 2007, 3:39 pm

I used to light on the dining room table too ... and I agree it is more kavod to have the leichter on the table ... but now I eat in the kitchen and there is not enough room on the table, so I light on the counter ...

chocolate moose

Sun, Jul 22 2007, 6:08 pm

There's hergesh, and there's halachah. And there's common sense, from the different horror stories that have been posted here. I don't think you can discount them!

greenfire

Sun, Jul 22 2007, 6:13 pm

yes im with the common sense ... I have seen people stand by and watch candles go up in flame because it was shabbos ... sorry put them in the sink ... before the spread of a firey weapon ...

justanothermother

Mon, Jul 23 2007, 4:19 am

We keep them on a buffet near the table. I like to serve breakfast on the DR table and need to change the tablecloth to a dairy one. I also use a new tablecloth for lunch.

How do you change your tablecloth if it gets dirty if you have your leichter on the table?

chen

Mon, Jul 23 2007, 12:46 pm

justanothermother wrote:

How do you change your tablecloth if it gets dirty if you have your leichter on the table?

You can't. Which is only one of several reasons why I don't keep leichter on my table.

Some people use disposable plastics, cut a hole in them to accommodate the leichter, place a stack of them one on top of the other on the table, then remove each layer as it gets dirty. The system works, but I object to unnecessary use of disposables. Life is much easier, to say nothing of safer, when the leichter are NOT on the table.

Mrs. XYZ

Mon, Jul 23 2007, 2:49 pm

chen wrote:

justanothermother wrote:

How do you change your tablecloth if it gets dirty if you have your leichter on the table?

You can't. Which is only one of several reasons why I don't keep leichter on my table.

Actually there is a way. If you put a very expensive non-muktza item (like a gold watch) on the tray before shabbos, then the whole tray is not muktza and can be moved on shabbos. (Dont know if everyone holds like this though)

I always keep it on the end of the table. I use disposable tablecloth up until the tray, that is enough room for us.

HealthCoach

Mon, Jul 23 2007, 3:01 pm

We put it on a high piece of furniture because of little children. First I thought it was weird, but it's so convenient that I'm not sure if we'll ever switch back.