[Avodah] Neros Shabbos/Yomtov

[Zev Sero]

On 12/06/2011 10:13 AM, Micha Berger wrote:

> The mitzvah of Shabbos lights is based on the awareness that presentation
> is a big part of the enjoyment of the meal. Seeing what you are eating
> enhances the se'udah.

Question: nowadays we are yotzei the basic requirement for neros shabbos
with electric lights, which is why we don't light candles in every room,
as the Sh"A requires.  We have electric lights in or outside every room,
and we light candles only in the room where we plan to eat, for the sake
of having something on which to say the bracha.  Therefore these candles
are not absolutely necessary for the mitzvah.

Shvus dishvus is permitted for a mitzvah, only if the mitzvah would be
absolutely impossible without it.  If one is sitting in pitch dark, and
thus unable to have oneg shabbos, one may tell a goy to bring a lit
candle from another reshus hayochid with which there is no eruv; but if
there is already one candle, so that one is not in pitch dark, and *some*
oneg is possible but it's still rather gloomy, one may not tell a goy to
bring another candle, because it's shvus dishvus.

On yomtov, the issur in striking a match is nolad, which is drabannan;
it's not really a shvus, but the principle should be the same.  Thus,
telling a goy to strike a match is shvus dishvus.  Question: if the
yortzeit candle one left to light from has gone out, may one ask a goy
to strike a match so that one may light neros on the second day?  In
pre-electric days I would have no question; of course one may, since
the mitzvah is impossible without it.  But nowadays one is yotzei the
mitzvah anyway; is this not like the situation where one has just enough
light to make *some* oneg shabbos possible, and thus forbidden from
doing a shvus dishvus to increase the light and the mitzvah?


-- 
Zev Sero                      The trouble with socialism is that you
zev at sero.name                 eventually run out of other people’s money
                                                      - Margaret Thatcher