[Avodah] Why is it customary for women and not men to light the Shabbos candles?

[Akiva Miller via Avodah]

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R' Yitzchok Levine cited today's OU Kosher Halacha Yomis. I have
several comments.

The OU writes:

> The Shulchan Aruch (ibid) explains that women were awarded
> this mitzvah because they are the ones who primarily prepare
> the home for Shabbos.

Ummm... That's not what I see in the Shulchan Aruch cited, i.e. 263:3.
The worded there is "muzharos", which does NOT mean this mitzva was
"awarded" like some sort of gift or medal. "Muzharos" refers to a
level of responsibility, and the Shulchan Aruch explains exactly why
this responsibility is theirs: "The women are more muzharos in this,
because they are found at home, and they are involved with the needs
of the home."

In simple terms: If a woman has the role of homemaker, then lighting
the lights is part of that!

The OU continues:

> The Tur (based on the Midrash) offers another explanation.
> Chava shortened Adam’s life on erev Shabbos by causing him to
> sin. Because Chava extinguished G-d’s candle (man’s neshama),
> women light Shabbos candles erev Shabbos to atone for that act.

R' Yitzchok Levine asked:

> I have never understood the reason given by the Tur, since to
> me it sounds like "original sin."

I agree that this does sound like "original sin", but only
superficially, in the sense that this was the first sin, prior to any
other sin. But when Christians refer to "original sin", they don't
mean merely that it was first on the timeline. They mean that it
became rooted in human nature so deeply that we are all hopelessly
damned, unless... well... we don't really need to go there.

Suffice it to say that as a matter of historical record, we *would* be
in Gan Eden today if they had not done what they did. So why not do
something to help repair the darkness that was caused by that sin? I
think that's all the Tur is saying.

It's a small minhag for us, and a foundation of faith for them - these
are so far apart that I'm not bothered if they both happen to derive
from the same event.

Finally, the OU writes:

> Though men do not light the actual candles, the Mishnah
> Berurah (263:12) writes that the husband should set up the
> candles. Furthermore the Mishna Berura (264:28) informs us
> that the minhag is that the husbands should light the wicks
> and extinguish them so that when the wife lights the neiros
> the wicks will easily catch fire.

It is my opinion that the word "neiros" here must be carefully
understood as oil lamps and NOT as candles. In my experience, a plain
piece of fabric that has drawn the oil into it will be wet and
difficult to ignite; this can be remedied by lighting it to create a
charred end, which is extinguished and will be easier to light later.
In my experience, if one tries this with a candle, it will be
counterproductive, because the exposed wick will burn away and be
*more* difficult to light later on.

Akiva Miller