DailyHalacha.com for Mobile Devices Now Available

Click Here to Sponsor Daily Halacha
"Delivered to Over 6000 Registered Recipients Each Day"

      
(File size: 1.4 MB)
Mukse-May a Jew Instruct a Non-Jew To Move A Lit Candle on Shabbat

The Halacha discusses whether it is permitted to instruct a non-Jew to carry a lit candle, such as Shabbat candles or a Hanukah Menorah after the first half hour, into another room for illumination. To be clear, it would be prohibited to tell the non-Jew to light the lights. In this case, he is merely being asked to carry the Mukse candle. The Rema (276:3) permits doing so. The Mishna Berura (Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan of Radin, 1839-1933) explains this leniency is because the Jew could also find a permitted way to move the candle himself, e.g. in an indirect fashion. The Mishna Berura does require the non-Jew to exercise caution that moving the candle won’t cause the oil to extinguish the flame. However, according to the accepted ruling that there is no problem to instruct a non-Jew to perform a "Pesik Reshe"-an automatic prohibited outcome, this is not necessary.

----

After the candles burn out, the candlesticks are still Mukse, as a "Basees L’davar Ha’asur"- a base for a Mukse item. Even though the flame is already extinguished, the candlesticks remain Mukse, since they were already Mukse at Ben HaShmashot-with the advent of Shabbat. Nevertheless, Maran in 279:4 rules that if one makes a "Tenai"-that is, he stipulates at the time of candle lighting that after the flame goes out he intends to move it, the status of Basees would be neutralized, leaving the candlestick a "Keli Shemlachto L’isur", which may be moved for its place or for a permitted use. Moreover, Rabbi Akiva Eger (1761-1837), in his notes to the Shulhan Aruch cites the opinion of the Tashbes that if the "Tenai" was made, the candlestick become a "Keli Shemalchto L’Heter"-i.e. it is considered designated for permitted use, and may even be moved "MeHama L’sel"-for its own protection. Hacham BenSion (Ner Lesion p. 527) rules that one may rely on this leniency. The Ashkenzaim do not rely on this "Tenai."

SUMMARY

One may instruct a non-Jew to carry a lit candle to illuminate a dark room.

If one made a "Tenai" when lighting candle before Shabbat that he intends to move it after it is extinguished, he may move the candlestick even for its own protection.


 


Recent Daily Halachot...
Must the Back of the Tefillin Straps be Painted Black?
Are Tefillin Considered Muktze and Thus Prohibited To Move On Shabbat
Darkening the Letters of Tefillin and Mezuzot by Adding a Second Layer of Ink
Declaring One’s Intent Before Writing Hashem’s Name in the Tefillin
Tefillin – Blackening Faded Letters
Forming a Letter in the Tefillin By Scraping Off Excess Ink
Tefillin – Misshaped Letters; Perforations in the Parchment
The Sequence of Writing the Parashiyot in Tefillin Rabbenu Tam
Writing the Parashiyot of Tefillin in the Proper Sequence
Kissing the Tefillin When Putting Them on and Taking Them Off
Must One Remove His Tefillin Before Sundown?
The Tefillin Straps
Writing the Parashiyot of the Tefillin
Must the Tefillin be Perfectly Square?
If Somebody Mistakenly Put on Tefillin Rabbenu Tam Before Tefillin Rashi
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found