[Avodah] Lighting Neros on Yom Tov

[Jacob Farkas]

R' Zev Sero wrote:

> Not so.  The obligation is to have light in every room that one will
> use, so that one won't hurt oneself stumbling around in the dark.
> That obligation is adequately fulfilled with the electric lights,
> and indeed the common practise is that we do *not* light candles in
> most rooms of the house, relying on the electric lights to fulfill
> the mitzvah.  Lighting candles in one location for the bracha, is a
> hiddur mitzvah, surely no more important than having an avukah for
> havdalah, or a ner for bedikat chametz.

Good point. But the obligation to light is still an obligation. If one 
chooses not to be Yotzi with the current light, it is not a Hiddur to 
light candles, it is a Mitzvah. Ner shel Mitzvah (even when not formally 
obligated) is sufficient for tzorekh qetzas required by some Rishonim as 
a parameter of Mitokh [SheHuterah l'tzorekh Huterah nami shelo l'tzorekh].

[See OH 514:5 (discussing lighting candles in a shul on Yom Tov) 
"...SheHarei b'hadlaqaso yeish Mitzvah" and the MB [SQ 33] explains that 
the Mehabeir meant to imply even when the light is not necessary.]

Jacob Farkas