Q&A: Lighting Holiday Candles
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Lighting Holiday Candles
Question
1 It is written that it is permitted to light candles on a Jewish holiday, since once it was permitted for food preparation it was also permitted for other needs; see Tosafot on Pesachim 5, that for the sake of a commandment it is forbidden. According to this, nowadays, when candle-lighting is not for illumination because there is enough light, would it be forbidden to light on a Jewish holiday?
2 According to those who hold that electricity has the status of fire, is it permitted to light candles by means of electricity?
Answer
- You mean ordinary candle-lighting, not for the need of the commandment of the holiday candle? When it serves no need at all, it is certainly forbidden to light. That was also forbidden in their times.
- There are halakhic decisors who permit lighting with electricity. Strictly speaking, by the law it is certainly permitted, but the custom is to light with regular candles.
1. For the sake of a commandment. The need of a commandment is not considered a need. In the past they would light for the sake of the commandment, whose purpose was that there should not be darkness in the house and one might stumble over obstacles in the home.
Today there is no such concern, so the commandment remains [when the reason is nullified, the enactment is not nullified], but on a Jewish holiday it would be forbidden to light, and they would need to light from before the holiday.