Quick question about candles (I love alliteration)

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Forum -> Yom Tov / Holidays

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Clarissa ↓

Mon, Oct 13 2008, 1:28 pm

Can I light Yom Tov candles early? If so, how early? Here's the deal: I'm leaving for the sukkah (blocks away) at around 7. I'm one of these people who is really uncomfortable leaving candles burning when I go out. I know they'll be burning for about an hour before I leave, but I would love to light as early as is permitted. Do I have any leeway? Humor me, I'm pyrophobic.

cassandra ↓

Mon, Oct 13 2008, 1:30 pm

If you are eating out you can light on an electric (incandescent) light. Shut off the light, turn it on, then make the bracha.

↑ Clarissa

Mon, Oct 13 2008, 1:32 pm

cassandra wrote:

If you are eating out you can light on an electric (incandescent) light. Shut off the light, turn it on, then make the bracha.

Really? Thanks!

↑ cassandra ↓

Mon, Oct 13 2008, 1:37 pm

Yup. It's what I do.

Tzippora ↓

Mon, Oct 13 2008, 1:43 pm

We were going to do the same thing when I was growing up as my sister is autistic and had a thing about knocking the candles over for fun. It is certainly permissible.

Tue, Oct 14 2008, 2:34 pm

thats so interesting. I never heard of that.
is that for shabbos as well or just yom tov?
an only when u go out to another meal where they will have candles lit?
or even if u r at home? for eg. its erev shabbos n u have no candles in the house - can u just switch ur living room light on n bless it?

BeershevaBubby ↓

Wed, Oct 15 2008, 1:51 am

cassandra wrote:

If you are eating out you can light on an electric (incandescent) light. Shut off the light, turn it on, then make the bracha.

What's the source on that?

I know it's too late, but Clarissa, there was another thread about lighting int he Sukkah. Marion says she lights tea lights in a bowl with an inch or two of water.

Also, what about lighting where you're going to be eating?

shosh

Wed, Oct 15 2008, 2:41 am

I have never heard of that. This is the kind of question you ask a Rav, in my opinion.

I also light tea lights in the sukkah itself, and they usually burn out while we're eating. So what's the problem? We're there, so we see what's going on.

Isramom8 ↓

Wed, Oct 15 2008, 4:48 pm

Last year when I lit in the sukkah, somehow the tablecloth caught fire - with amazing hashgacha, at just that instant my relative's non-Jewish health care aide walked in and put out the flames.

So this year I didn't want to light in the sukkah. DH said that when he turned on the electric sukkah light before leaving for Mincha, he would have in mind that it is in honor of the Yom Tov.

How does lighting candles in a bowl work? I'm worried that I'll drown my candles. (You may realize I'm not the most adroit at this stuff...usually in my home I light in tall candlesticks in the corner of a marble countertop, and keep papers and so on far away. And I use a tall candle for a shamash.)

↑ BeershevaBubby ↓

Wed, Oct 15 2008, 4:52 pm

Either make sure the bowl has a wide enough bottom so you can place as many tea lights as you need into it with half an inch of water, or tea lights float.

BTW, when I recommended that Clarissa might want to try putting her candles in water and I got the idea from Marion who does it when she lights in the Sukkah, I didn't mean for Clarissa to light in her own Sukkah and then leave. I meant Clarissa light wherever she usually lights Shabbat candles before going to her host.

yOungM0mmy

Wed, Oct 15 2008, 4:54 pm

I know that you can light on the old-fashioned bulbs (not flourescent), but thought it was more of an emergency measure, eg, if you are stuck someplace, or in a hospital and they wont let you light candles, etc.

↑ Isramom8

Wed, Oct 15 2008, 4:59 pm

Ok, please describe a safe way to light a floating tea light; doesn't it swim away from the lit match (the flame on which is creeping close to your fingers every nanosecond)?

I imagine my toddler having a real "yom tov" gleefully diving into a bowl of water that contains brightly burning candles...so pretty...

↑ BeershevaBubby

Wed, Oct 15 2008, 5:03 pm

Use just enough water so that if they get knocked, they'd get wet but still sit on the bottom of the bowl or aluminum pan...

I just tried lighting a floating tea light. Put the match to the wick and it lights fine.

↑ cassandra

Wed, Oct 15 2008, 9:29 pm

YESHASettler wrote:

cassandra wrote:

If you are eating out you can light on an electric (incandescent) light. Shut off the light, turn it on, then make the bracha.

I believe the source is R. Moshe, and R. Ovadia Yosef also thinks it is entirely permissible. I would never light on electric when I am at home, but my rabbi believes that because going out usually means that the candles will be out by the time you get home it is actually preferable to light on electric because this way you can get benefit from the light when you return which is part of the mitzvah, which is the same reason why he believes one should not light where they eat unless they are sleeping there. You should have oneg shabbos from your candles at home. Obviously one needs to ask their own posek, and when I answered Clarissa I was answering her specifically, where I felt she would be ok with my ruling.

↑ Tzippora

Wed, Oct 15 2008, 10:28 pm

CL, I believe it was R' Shlomo Zalman Auerbach that used to L'chatchila make havdala on incandescent lights specifically to show that it is aish. So according to him - yes, it would apply even when you've just run out of candles. Or l'chatchila, for that matter.

Mommy3.5

Thu, Oct 16 2008, 9:59 pm

I was told to light on an electric light when I had a baby on friday, and could not light in the hospital. It seems like lighting real lights would be preferable.

gryp

Thu, Oct 16 2008, 10:47 pm

Ditto, Mommy3.5.

GAMZu

Thu, Oct 16 2008, 11:20 pm

We lit tea lights on a metal tray. As I was putting the shamash down, it kinda leaned over onto my hand, causing me to drop it. It rolled riiight under the wooden sukka wall! Surprised

That little space where one panel was a couple of millimeters above the ground.
B"H DH was there to move the table and take it out- without putting out the flame. Had I been alone, I would have just poured water on it because I can't move tables or bend over under them to get a burning candle.

sky

Fri, Oct 17 2008, 12:00 pm

I actually always turn on an electric light (not florescent) before making the bracha each shabbos. I think it is because that is the light we really enjoy on shabbos. I still always light my candles but I know that once I lit my wicks, made the bracha, uncovered my eyes, and realized my husband had forgot to fill the candles with oil and the flame was already out. I was told that because I had turned on an electric light that was sufficient.

greenfire

Fri, Oct 24 2008, 6:28 am

reb cassandra - you only pasken for certain chevra ?!

I do not like real lights so all we have on are candles ... aside from a night light in the bathroom and a light over the kitchen sink ... yom tov is easy cause we just light a candle when we need light ...

clarissa - I would have lit when I came home if I didn't want to leave them alone ...

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