SHABBOS LIGHTING BY A WOMAN
כ וְאַתָּה תְצַוֶּה אֶּת -בְנֵי יִשְרָּאֵל, וְיִקְחו אֵלֶּיךָ שֶּמֶּן זַיִת זָּךְ כָּתִית-- לַמָּאוֹר: לְהַעֲלֹת נֵר, תָּמִיד .
Shmos 27,20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.
Baal haTurim: תצוה ”You should command” Gematria of this word is 501 which is equal to that of נשים צוה “command the women.” This is an illusion to the kindling of the Shabbos lights, which is an obligation for women in the honor of the Shabbos.
Another connection between the Menorah of the Mishkan and the Shabbos lights is found in kabbalistic literature. For the Arizal would have the Shabbos lights kindled on the southern side of the room corresponding to the Menorah which stood on the southern side of the Mishkan and the Bias haMikdash. Thus, the Arizal wrote in his Friday-night zemer אסדר לדומא מנרתא (I shall arrange toward the south, the menorah).
Why it is customary to light Shabbos candles?
The Medrash Tanchuma (Noach 1:1) explains that as a consequence of the sin of eating from the tree of knowledge, the first woman brought death into the world. Now “the human soul is a candle of HaShem” (Mishlei 2,27). Thus, since the first woman almost extinguished the initial soul/candle of mankind, future women must be vigilant in kindling the Shabbos lights.
Rashi: Honoring Shabbos by candles next to the table, marks the meal as important.
Tosofos: Delighting in Shabbos as we eat by candlelight
Rashi (Shabbos 32a) brings the Medrash (Bereshis Rabbah 17) since the first woman on the first Erev Shabbos caused the light of the world (the first man) to succumb to death, so women should light the Shabbos lights to rectify the sin. The Rema brings this reason.
Shulchan Aruch O.C. 263:1 - the responsibility for kindling the Shabbos lights falls on the woman of the house since they are often found in the home and usually attend to the needs of those who live there.
Bais Yosef: Negating the opinion of the Karaites who sit in darkness over Shabbos
The halachic background to the concept of lighting Shabbos lights
The Sefer Yeraim (siman 100) writes that the source for this halacha derives from the verse וכבדתו דרכיך וכו' (Yeshiyahu 58,13). Chaza”l understood the honor of Shabbos comes from lights special for the Shabbos.
Tosfos (Shabbos 25b) derives this halacha from the Mishna (Shabbos 2,6) that upon three issues of not being careful, a woman could die in child-birth: not careful in the laws of Nidah, in the laws of Chalah, and in lighting (Shabbos) lights. There must be a Torah obligation for a death to result from not lack of carefulness.
What about preparation of the lights?
Rabbi Akiva Eiger asks on the Mishnah, why does it add the word הדלקת (lighting) and not state with candles (like stated with Chalah, and not “separation of” the Chalah).
The answer might be that the Mishnah is alluding to the concept that a man prepares the candles and the women lights them. (as brought in the Magen Avrohom and in the Mishneh Berurah)
Further, the sefer Moad Lekal Chai that it is a special segulah to light the Chanukah lights with proper intention leads to children who are Talmedei Chachamim. If so, then the wife should prepare the Chanukah lights.
So, it is brought in the booklet Yehi Ohr that was found in the writings of the Ariza”l that Erev Shabbos the man of the house should prepare the lights for his wife to light them, and on Chanukah, the wife should prepare the lights for her husband to light.
