[Avodah] LED "tealights" for Shabbos candles

[Akiva Miller]

R' Zev Sero wrote:

> But we're not discussing "borei me'orei ha'esh"; we're
> discussing "lehadlik ner shel shabbos kodesh" or "shel
> yom tov", etc.  And there the mitzvah is the provision
> of practical light by which one may walk around
> without hurting oneself, and see what one is eating.
> A LED provides this just as well as a candle.

(I would add that we're also not talking about Chanukah, where Pirsumei Nisa demands fuel that burns on a wick.)

I've long felt exactly as RZS explained. Which is why I'm indebted to this posters in this thread for pointing out the problems posed by the wording of the bracha.

I'm now of the opinion (not that my opinion counts for anything, of course) that there should be no problem whatsoever as regards fulfilling the mitzvah of light in one's home on Shabbos by use of an LED or other electric light. But at the same time, I can also see that one might not be able to use the words "l'hadlik" or "ner" when doing that mitzvah, depending on how one defines those words. (I don't know Hebrew (or Lashon Hakodesh, for that matter) well enough to opine on whether those words require something to burn.)

I would compare the situation to saying "l'his'atef b'tzitzis" on a garment which is worn, but worn in a manner other than atifah.

Akiva Miller


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