In continuation of last week’s article, we will further explore the details of the mitzvah of lighting Shabbos candles. Can it be fulfilled with electric lighting? How can the mitzva be fulfilled when candles are unavailable? And what about hospitalized patients or people in institutions where, due to safety regulations, cannot light an open flame – how can they fulfill the mitzva?
This leads us to further halachic considerations: Does turning on an electric light involve the Torah prohibition of mav’ir (kindling a flame)? Does it make a difference what type of bulb is used? Are certain forms of lighting more suitable than others for the mitzvah of hadlakas neiros? Is a flashlight more preferable than simply pressing a wall switch?
Does it matter whether the electricity is powered by direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC)? And is there a distinction between the Eretz Yisrael and chutz la’aretz on this matter?
These questions and others are the focus of this week’s article.
Lighting Shabbos Candles with Electric Bulbs
Can fulfill the mitzvah of ner Shabbos—lighting Shabbos candles—using electric lighting?
The question can be approached from two angles: Can electric lighting be used le’chatchilah—as an ideal, preferred method? And what should be done b’sha’as hadchak—in extenuating circumstances, such as in a medical facility where, due to safety regulations, lighting an open flame is impossible, and there is no designated area for lighting Shabbos candles. In other cases, the location provided may not meet halachic requirements, or a woman’s physical or medical condition might prevent her from reaching the candle-lighting area.
Common Electric Lighting
Incandescent Bulbs
Traditional incandescent bulbs generate light through heat. Inside the bulb there is a thin metal filament. When the bulb is switched on, positive and negative electric currents meet, creating friction that causes the filament to heat up—reaching temperatures of around 1000°C. As the filament glows, it emits light.
Under normal conditions, the filament would burn out instantly, however, since the bulb is filled with an inert gas or sealed in a vacuum, the filament doesn’t combust. In addition, the filament is made from specially chosen materials that can withstand extreme temperatures—up to 3500°C. These two innovations—vacuum sealing and heat-resistant filaments—enable bulbs to emit light for extended periods without burning out.
Still, over time, the constant exposure to heat takes its toll. Eventually, the filament degrades and burns through at one point, marking the end of the bulb’s lifespan. This is often clearly visible inside the bulb, where the filament appears snapped or charred.
Fluorescent Bulbs
Fluorescent bulbs operate differently. They contain a special type of gas (typically a low-pressure mixture of argon gas and mercury vapor) that emits light when it becomes energized. When the bulb is turned on, positive and negative electric currents flow into the tube and excite the gas. As a result, it emits a visible light.
Unlike incandescent bulbs, the gas inside a fluorescent bulb heats to a much lower temperature and does not produce fire or combustion. However, in order to begin this process, the bulb needs a starter—a small component that initiates the lighting cycle. The starter creates an initial spark, a brief burst of fire, which excites the gas and allows the light-emitting reaction to begin.
In essence, although the ongoing light is not produced by fire, the activation of a fluorescent bulb involves a momentary ignition—an essential spark that kickstarts the entire process.
LED Bulbs
LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) operates using a different principle altogether. Diodes are one-way electric conductors. Their unique structure, along with the materials from which it is made (usually silicone), naturally emits light when electricity passes through. More precisely, this process releases photons—the basic particles of light—resulting in illumination in various colors.
Unlike incandescent or fluorescent bulbs, LEDs generate very little heat, and their light is not the result of combustion or fire. Their activation is purely electric and involves no ignition. In that sense, their light emission is more comparable to a natural glow—almost like a chameleon that gives off light—rather than any traditional form of burning.
Mav’ir (Kindling Fire) in Electric Light
Does electric lighting qualifies as "fire" in halachic terms? Does lighting it meet the definition of lighting a "ner"—a candle? And more broadly, which of the 39 categories of forbidden labor (melachos) does the use of electricity on Shabbos fall under?
Turning on an electric device on Shabbos—regardless of whether it produces fire, light, or heat—is clearly prohibited. However, the reason for this prohibition is the subject of extensive halachic discussion. In this article, we will focus on just one dimension of that discussion: whether activating an electrical current constitutes the melachah of mav’ir—kindling a flame.
Points For Discussion
This question touches on several fundamental halachic issues:
- Does kindling a fire in a vacuum—where it cannot actually ignite—still qualify as a halachic "fire"?
- If a fire is kindled but extinguishes instantly and cannot sustain itself—only to be followed immediately by another ignition—does that initial act still count as lighting?
- Who is considered responsible for the act of kindling? Is it the individual who presses the switch, or does the credit (or liability) go to the electric company that generated the current, while the person simply enabled the flow of electricity that caused the ignition?
To further understand the complexity of this issue, we need to consider one more technical detail: In modern electric systems, alternating current (AC) is standard. This means the direction of the current constantly reverses, resulting in multiple cycles of ignition every second. For instance, in Israel and Europe, the frequency is 50 hertz—meaning the current completes 50 cycles per second, and the light effectively turns on and off 50 times per second. In the United States, the standard is 60 hertz.
This raises an important halachic question: Is a fire that lasts only 1/50th or 1/60th of a second halachically significant, especially when that momentary fire is followed by countless others?
Over the course of an hour, one would benefit from approximately 18,000 ignitions (50 cycles × 60 seconds × 60 minutes). Does the cumulative result—sustained light and heat—render it a single, meaningful act of fire-lighting? Or should each micro-ignition be viewed independently, and since none has duration or permanence, they are halachically insignificant, and perhaps only prohibited mi’derabonon? Or, perhaps, only the first ignition is attributed to the person’s action.
Halachic Rulings
Upon their inception, incandescent bulbs became the subject of extensive halachic dispute. (See: Beis Yitzchak YD I, Chapters 120:4; Vol. II Chapter 31; Achiezer Vol. III Chapter 60; Levushai Mordechai, OC Chapters 47–48; Chazon Ish, OC Chapter 50:9; Minchas Shlomo Vol. I Chapter 12, among others.) The question is whether simply causing a fire to come into being—by creating conditions that lead to ignition—constitutes a halachic violation. Some poskim go further and suggest that the issue may not be one of lighting a fire (mav’ir) at all, but rather bishul (cooking), since heating metal to a beneficial temperature is included in the melachah of cooking.
Fluorescent bulbs are generally not seen as fire, and their main concern is the initial spark generated by the starter, which ignites the gas inside the bulb. Even here, the concern is limited, and most authorities maintain that the heated gas does not meet the halachic definition of fire.
In the case of LED lights, the consensus is even stronger. Most opinions do not consider LEDs a halachic fire, since production of light does not come under the prohibition of mav’ir.
LED, in this context, can be compared to a spiritual radiation. Moshe Rabbenu’s face radiated light after descending from Sinai, and Rabbi Eliezer’s face also shone when he taught Torah (Avos d’Rabbi Nosson, chapter 13): “His face shone like the sun, and rays came forth from him like those of Moshe, and no one could tell whether it was day or night.” Nevertheless, obviously, there was no halachic issue with Rabbi Eliezer teaching Torah on Shabbos—the shining light that his face emitted was not a physical fire, but a spiritual radiance.
Lighting Electric Shabbos Candles
In light of the discussion above, we can now return to our original question: Can Shabbos candles be lit using electric lights? To answer this, let’s briefly revisit the reasons for the mitzvah of lighting Shabbos candles, as we outlined in last week’s article.
We light candles to honor Shabbos, to bring joy and comfort to the home, and to enhance the pleasure of the Shabbos meal by allowing us to see the food we’re eating. A well-lit space contributes to the atmosphere of delight—people naturally enjoy their meals more when there’s warm, visible light. Candlelight also lends dignity to the day, transforming an ordinary dining area into one that feels special and festive. And practically, lighting ensures safety, helping prevent accidents and promoting peace in the home.
However, we also noted that in modern times, with electric lighting already illuminating our homes, some of these reasons may seem less relevant. Unless one deliberately turns off the lights and then turns them back on specifically in honor of Shabbos—or lights candles before the electric lights are switched on—the candles don’t necessarily add much practical light to the environment.
Electronic Lighting Lechatchila
Rabbi Yitzchak Shmelkes, Rabbi of Lvov (Beis Yitzchak YD Vol. I Chapter 120, 5; Vol. II Chapter 31:8); Machazeh Avraham (Vol. I Chapter 41); and the Achiezer (Vol. IV Chapter 6) have ruled unequivocally that electricity is considered a full-fledged form of fire, and that one may therefore light Shabbos candles using electric lights—and even recite the blessing without hesitation.
However, when it comes to Chanukah candles, the Beis Yitzchak makes an important distinction. The mitzvah of Chanukah lighting has unique requirements: it must involve oil (or a substance that resembles it), and the light must visibly commemorate the miracle that took place with the menorah in the Beis Hamikdash. For this reason, electric lights do not fulfil the obligation of lighting Chanukah candles.
Many contemporary halachic authorities—among them Rabbi Aharon Kotler (Kochvei Yitzchak, Chapter 2), Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv (Shvus Yitzchak, Ner Shabbos Ch. 3), Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch (Teshuvos VeHanhagos Vol. II, Chapter 156), Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (Yabia Omer Vol. II, Chapter 17), Rabbi Ephraim Greenblatt (Rivevos Efraim Vol. IV, Chapter 66), Rabbi Binyamin Zilber (Oz Nidberu Vol. III, Chapter 1), and Rabbi Yosef Lieberman (Mishnas Yosef on Shulchan Aruch, Chapter 11)—agree that while it is certainly preferable and more honorable to light an actual flame for Shabbos candles (as it clearly expresses that the lighting is for the honor of Shabbos), there are exceptions.
In extenuating circumstances—such as for someone in a hospital, a resident of an institution, the elderly, or someone who is bedridden—it is entirely permissible to rely on the halachic opinions that allow lighting an incandescent bulb with a blessing, since it is halachically regarded as “fire.”
Rabbi Tzvi Pesach Frank notes (Har Tzvi OC Vol. I Chapter 141) that Rabbi Avraham Yaakov Neimark, head of the rabbinical court of Tel Aviv, would regularly fulfil the mitzva of lighting Shabbos candles by turning on the electricity.
However, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef adds that in Eretz Yisroel, since the national electric company, sadly, desecrates Shabbos, even those who permit using electric lights on Shabbos still forbid reciting the blessing "Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to light the Shabbos candle", if the energy comes from Shabbos desecration of other Jews. In this case, lighting Shabbos candles this way is not a mitzva, as it does not honor the Shabbos.
The Sanzer Rebbe (Divrei Yatziv OC Chapter 119) adds that even those who permit using electricity for Shabbos candles do not permit reciting a blessing over electricity from Israel's electric company—until, one day, when its operations on Shabbos will be conducted in accordance with halacha. Of course people who are connected to a generator avoid this problem.
Lighting with a Flashlight or Battery Pack
Both Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Shmiras Shabbos Kehilchaso, Chapter 43:22) and Rabbi Ben Zion Abba Shaul (Or LeTzion Vol. II, 18:12–13) agree that in principle, electric light is considered “fire,” and when lighting with a flashlight powered by battery or battery pack, the blessing may be recited without concern.
However, when one lights a device that is connected to the main power grid, a halachic issue arises. The initial "fire" or spark generated is fleeting—lasting only a fraction of a second—and from that point on, the light remains on only due to the continuous flow of electricity supplied by the electric company. Because of this dependence, Rabbi Ben Zion Abba Shaul rules that one should not recite the blessing when lighting electric lights that rely on the public power grid.
By contrast, Shmiras Shabbos Kehilchaso writes that in cases of necessity one may recite the blessing, and in a footnote, mentions that Rabbi Shlomo Zalman made a distinction between cases. It seems that in great need, one is permitted to light and recite a blessing even on electricity from the power grid, though it is preferable to avoid it and try to use at least a flashlight or battery pack.
Batteries vs. Generator vs. Electric Company
A battery is a self-containing power source. A generator is a machine that converts mechanical energy (from fuel, wind, or water) into electricity. A public electric grid provides electricity through a vast network of power stations and transmission lines, power created by workers and machines in faraway locations.
The differences between the power sources results in differences in halacha (see Shvus Yitzchak, Ner Shabbos, Chapter 3):
- A blessing on electricity from an electric company is a blessing on fire that will not remain lit on Shabbos since the energy source may not yet have been created. Since a blessing cannot be recited over something that is only expected to create fire in the future, one should not recite a blessing upon turning on the light switch. However, where there is a system with the capacity to produce electricity until Shabbos—such as a battery, power pack, or generator— reciting a blessing is permitted since the energy source is already present.
- The electric company supplies alternating current, not direct current. That is, there are 50–60 cycles of electric flow per second. Thus, the initial ignition only remains lit for the coming fraction of a second, and each subsequent ignition is merely an indirect result of the first human action, not considered a halachic act of lighting a Shabbos candle. By contrast, batteries and power packs generally provide direct current, which means the electric current producing the light is direct and continuous.
As a result, two practical halachic differences emerge:
First, if the permissibility of lighting Shabbos candles depends solely on using direct current (DC), then even in homes with private generators—or those connected to a generator system with enough fuel prepared in advance for the entire Shabbos—the use of alternating current (AC) would not be acceptable for lighting Shabbos candles. However, if the permissibility is based on the existence of a pre-established energy source, meaning there is no reliance on an external factor to “refill the oil in the candle,” then it would be permissible to fulfill the mitzvah by turning on a light connected to a generator, even if the current is alternating.
Second, there are lighting systems that operate using electricity generated from light sources. Today, people have outdoor solar panels that collect enough power to light a house, even from the moon or streetlights during the night. These systems typically operate on direct current (DC), so if the halachic leniency is based on the use of direct current, activating such a system would be considered the individual’s direct action, and would suffice for the mitzvah.
However, if the rationale for permissibility is that there must be a pre-existing store of energy—comparable to oil in a traditional candle—or that the system must generate electricity independently of external sources once Shabbos begins, then this setup would not fulfill the halachic requirements for lighting Shabbos candles.
LED Lighting
Some halachic authorities who permit fulfilling the mitzvah of lighting Shabbos candles using electricity base their view on the fact that an incandescent bulb is halachically considered a fire. According to this approach, LED lighting, which does not produce a flame at all, would not fulfill the mitzvah—and certainly, one would not be able to recite the blessing "lehadlik ner shel Shabbos", since no actual fire is present. By the same logic, fluorescent lights would also not be considered fire.
However, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv (Shvus Yitzchak, Ner Shabbos, Chapter 3) and Rabbi Ben Zion Abba Shaul (Or LeTzion, Vol. II, 18:13) ruled more leniently. They held that even a fluorescent light may be used for the mitzvah, and that no actual flame is required. Implicit in their ruling is that LEDs would also be valid. As long as the light is kindled li’chvod Shabbos—in honor of Shabbos—the mitzvah is fulfilled, and one may recite the blessing. Rabbi Elyashiv added that as long as the act is commonly referred to as “lighting,” it is appropriate to recite the blessing, since both the mitzvah is fulfilled, and the wording aligns with common speech.
On the other hand, Shevet HaLevi (Vol. V, Chapter 33) argues that if electric light does in fact fulfill the mitzvah, reciting the blessing over traditional candles is no longer be appropriate—since the room is already well-lit. The widespread custom to recite the blessing over flame-based candles, he argues, indicates that electric lighting does not fulfill the mitzvah. This was also the practical ruling of the Sanzer Rav (Divrei Yatziv, Vol. I, Chapters 119–120).
Additionally, the Tzitz Eliezer (Vol. I, Chapter 20) raises a separate concern. In his view, a lightbulb may be classified halachically as an “avukah”—a torch—which would disqualify it from being used for the mitzvah of candlelighting.
Conclusion
Throughout the generations, Jewish communities have been careful to honor Shabbos by lighting actual flames—ideally using olive oil. Today, many authorities consider high-quality wax candles to be an excellent, clear light source.
While the practical aspects of the mitzvah may be fulfilled through electric lighting, it’s important to note that the mitzvah of lighting candles for Shabbos carries deep kabbalistic significance. The Maharal (on Shabbos 22a) and Ben Ish Chai (Parashas Noach, Year 2) emphasize the spiritual power of kindling Shabbos candles. According to these teachings, the mitzvah brings blessings—most notably, children who grow-up to be Torah scholars. Whether such spiritual benefits apply to electric lighting remains uncertain.
That said, when it is not possible to light an actual flame—due to safety, health, or other valid concerns—it is appropriate to turn on an electric light in honor of Shabbos. Ideally, the light should be clearly designated for this purpose, such as a decorative fixture or lighting in a prominent location. A better choice would be a light that uses an incandescent bulb, and if feasible, one powered by a battery or power pack, which some authorities consider more halachically preferable.
Regarding the recitation of the blessing, one should consult a competent halachic authority. However, there is substantial support for those who follow the opinions permitting a blessing over electric lighting that does not involve chillul Shabbos, under such circumstances.
Finally, to enhance the festive mood and honor of the day, it is praiseworthy to use a beautiful or festive lamp—one that clearly indicates it is being lit in honor of Shabbos.
