Can someone explain Halacha of early candlelighting?

amother

Fri, Apr 17 2020, 6:57 pm

I thought as long as it’s after plag you can light any time up to the zman.
However the shul lists several options for early candle lighting.
Can someone please explain?
Overwhelmed enough as it is I can’t be fighting with dh about lighting times!!!

amother

Mustard

Fri, Apr 17 2020, 7:03 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Plag is the earliest. Note that just like there are multiple opinions what time shabbos is over and what time alos is, there are multiple opinions what time plag is, ranging from 6:04 to 8:15 today. Anytime after 6:45 (and really 6:13) should be fine according to most.

amother

Pink

Sat, Apr 18 2020, 9:35 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Thank you for the responses. DH implied that one must light exactly at any one of the specific times listed.
Is that a thing?

No. You can light any time up to the zman. You can't light before the earliest zman though.

amother

Sienna

Sat, Apr 18 2020, 9:49 pm

Generally, if you are making shabbos early, you need to do it at the same time as the community.

Worth knowing - husband and wife don't have to accept shabbos at the same time.

amother

Magenta

Sat, Apr 18 2020, 10:18 pm

amother [ Sienna ] wrote:

Generally, if you are making shabbos early, you need to do it at the same time as the community.

Worth knowing - husband and wife don't have to accept shabbos at the same time.

I don't think the first part applies when there are no minyanim happening. But yes, in general if we do early shabbos we follow a shul schedule.

Our shul schedule lists plag and we start shabbos any time we are ready between then and candle lighting. No specific time required.

amother

Sienna

Sun, Apr 19 2020, 1:05 am

amother [ Magenta ] wrote:

You're right. I understood from the op that there were minyanim at different early times. So in that case, the rule is to make early shabbos with the community. But if there are no early minyanim, then she has leeway. Though why make early shabbos and not go to shul when there's a minyan later?

amother

Mustard

Mon, Apr 20 2020, 12:28 pm

amother [ Sienna ] wrote:

You can be mekabel shabbos anytime after plag. (DH should daven mincha before plag, and you can make shabbos anytime. Often, by us, DH says kabbalas shabbos, we eat the meal, and then DH goes out to maariv by the late shabbos minyan.)

There is a separate issue that when an entire community accepts shabbos early, you're not allowed to say I'm not part of that and make shabbos late. Their acceptance is binding on everyone.

In most Jewish areas, this halacha would not apply, because there's no "one community". There are 5 shuls and 8 minyanim, and different ones do different times and things. There's no poresh min hatzibur.

It may apply in a bungalow colony or small community that's not so close to other colonies and the entire colony makes an early shabbos. Ask an LOR if applicable.

PinkFridge

Mon, Apr 20 2020, 1:12 pm

singleagain wrote:

I'm going to nitpick on one little thing... It's not and can never be late shabbat.

There is early and one time.

Good catch!
And while halacha doesn't mandate early candlelighting, there are definite halachos regarding early candlelighting.

Cy99

Sun, May 03 2020, 1:04 am

Our rav says that when the husband is mekabel shabis the wife gets 'pulled along', so when we make early shabis I have to light before he's mekabel shabis. Maybe he's a minority opinion, idk

geemum

Sun, May 03 2020, 4:09 am

Tzippy323 wrote:

I light a few minutes before man and see the extra time to say Tehillim. This was something I started during the first gulf war.

That's really praiseworthy. I would love to be early every week.... Something I'm working towards! How do you do it?

amother

Sienna

Sun, May 03 2020, 5:04 am

Cy99 wrote:

Our rav says that when the husband is mekabel shabis the wife gets 'pulled along', so when we make early shabis I have to light before he's mekabel shabis. Maybe he's a minority opinion, idk

Fascinating. Source, please?

It's certainly nice to make shabbos together, which is what we do every week, but I'm not aware it's obligatory. I'd like to see what your rabbi is quoting.

Ora in town

Sun, May 03 2020, 5:19 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

The rule is that you should start keeping shabbes (I.e. have lit the candles) latest when your community says Kabbalat Shabbat (I think mizmor shir le yom hashabbat, to be precise, but not sure about that)...

I.e. if you belong to no community, you can light until 18 minutes before sunset. But if your community decides to light at 19:30, you have to do so too...

...so I suppose if there are different minyanim, you have to go with the minyan your husband goes to...

amother

Cyan

Sun, May 03 2020, 7:16 am

Ora in town wrote:

When we do early shabbos in the summer, dh always reminds me that I need to light candles within next 20 minutes after he has left to shul. I need to have light candles by the time the minyan is mekabel shabbos.
Dh always tells me I can light any time I want to and can accept shabbos as early or until the official zman as long as candles are lit by that time of kabbalos shabbos.

Ora in town

Sun, May 03 2020, 7:22 am

amother [ Cyan ] wrote:

Are you saying, that you light the candles, but you are not mekabel shabbes by the time he does so in the minyan?

That you still would go on doing melachos until 18 Minutes before sunset?

I think that would be wrong. You would have to light candles & accept shabbes from the time your husband said kabbalat shabbat with his minyen...

The rest is right: your husband estimates that it takes about 20 Minutes for him to go to shul, say mincha... and get to the point where his minyan is mekabel shabbes... by the time they mekabel shabbes, you should too... as your rav said: the men pull you along...

amother

White

Sun, May 03 2020, 10:08 am

amother [ Sienna ] wrote:

Fascinating. Source, please?

It's certainly nice to make shabbos together, which is what we do every week, but I'm not aware it's obligatory. I'd like to see what your rabbi is quoting.

That’s how I also know it to be.
I don’t know the source but the way I understand it is as follows:
A man is also obligated in candle lighting.
If he’s alone on an island he lights candles himself.
(Some light their own when out of town, some pay a few coins to the host to be included... there are different minhagim).
When he’s married, he’s included with the candles that his wife lights.
So when he is up to “mizmor shir lyom hashabos” he needs to have his candles (that his wife is lighting) already lit.
So they need to decide together about making early Shabbos.
I think for a bachur it’s different, but a married man is considered one unit with his wife.