Q&A: Lighting Candles in a House That Has Two Windows
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This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Lighting Candles in a House That Has Two Windows
Question
Hello, Rabbi,
The Talmud says that a person who has two entrances must light at both of them because of suspicion—that the people of his town will say: if he didn’t light at this one, then he also didn’t light at the other one.
That is, they know he has two entrances, and nevertheless they suspect him.
I wanted to ask whether it follows from here that there is an obligation to light in a window facing every direction?
Answer
Seemingly yes, but since people are not careful about this, apparently it is because such suspicions do not exist.
Discussion on Answer
I didn’t understand. I wrote my opinion. Are you asking me about their opinion? That’s something you need to ask them.
Thank you — that is what I, in my humble opinion, also thought.
However, many halakhic decisors, such as Rabbi Elyashiv and Rabbi Nissim Karelitz, wrote that even in their time there is no obligation:
“And they wrote: it seems simple that this applies specifically to a house or courtyard where the usual practice is to have only one entrance to the outside. Therefore, even if people know that here he has two entrances, they will suspect him that he did not light. But regarding windows—even one who lights in a window does not need to light in every direction, because everyone knows that every room has several windows for light, and one only needs to light in one of them, and there is no reasoning at all to suspect him.”
And I did not understand this, because according to the Talmud’s reasoning, it is talking about a case where they know he has two entrances, just as they know there are several windows.