Translation:Shulchan Aruch/Orach Chaim/263

1. Who Should Kindle [Shabbos Lights]; [Reciting the Shabbos Prayers Early as a Result of] an Error [in Judgment on] a Cloudy Day, 17 Seifim: One should take care to make a beautiful candle/lamp and there are those who place two wicks in this lamp, with the intent that one light recall [the command] “Remember”and the other, [the command] “Observe". RAMA: One may add and light three or four candles, and such is our custom. The woman who one time forgets to light should light three candles for the rest of her days (Mahar"il) because one may add to an intentional task rather than something else, so long as one does not kindle less than two (Ashiri; Mordechai)

2. An individual man or an individual women must have in their houses an ignited lamp on the Sabbath; even if they have not what to eat they must beg at doors and take oil and light the lamp because this is within the generality Sabbath Enjoyment.

3. Women are more responsible, since they are present in the home and engaged in the household needs. If one lacks means to purchase a Shabbat lamp and kiddush for the day, the Shabbat lamp takes precedence. Similarly, if one lacks means to purchase a Shabbat lamp and a Hanukkah lamp, the Shabbat lamp takes precedence because of peace in the home, since there is no peace without a lamp. (And if one lacks means to purchase wine for kiddush and a Hanukkah lamp, see later Siman 678).

4. A person should not hurry to kindle [the Shabbos lights] while there is still much daylight left because then it is not evident that they are being kindled for the sake of Shabbat. Nor should the kindling be delayed [past the appropriate time]. If one seeks to kindle the light while there is still much daylight left and accept Shabbat at that time (close to the time of kindling) he may do so. Since he accepts Shabbat directly thereafter, this is not considered as [kindling too] early, provided that it is after p’lag haminchah, which is one and a quarter seasonal hours before nightfall. RAMA: See later Siman 267. If the candles were light while there is still much daylight, one must extinguish the light and go back and light it again for the sake of Shabbat. (Tur).

5. When you ignite, you bless: "Blessed are you H' Elokim, King of the World, who sanctified us with your commandments and commanded us to ignite the Sabbath lamp"—both the man and the wife. Also on Holidays it is necessary to bless, to ignite the Holiday lamp. And on non-Sabbath High Holidays, there is one who says that you do not bless, See below Siman 610. RAMA: There is one who says that we bless before the ignition and one who says that we bless after the ignition (Mordechai). And in order that it be "before your act" you should not benefit from it until after the blessing; therefore we put a hand in front of the candle after the ignition, and then we bless, and afterward we remove the hand—this is called "before the act" and such is the practice. (Mahari"l)

6. Lads which travel to learn away from their homes must ignite the Sabbath lamp in their rooms, and bless over them, but one who is married need not ignite in his room and bless over them because his wife blesses in his stead.

7. A guest that has no room to himself and whose home does not ignite for him must participate via a p'rutah.

8. Two or three men that eat in one place — there are those who say that each one blesses on his own candelabra, but this is a fumbling of the issue. And it is correct to be wary of ambiguous blessings, so none bar one should bless. (RAMA: But this is not our practice.)

9. Those who ignite within the house but eat in the courtyard — if the lamps are not long-lasting such that they remain ignited until the night they have blessed in vain.

10. Acording to the author of the Halakhos Gedolos, because the Sabbath lamp has been lit the Sabbath is incumbent upon you and labor is prohibited. And based on this some few women have the practice of, after they bless and ignite the lamps, throwing down the match in their hands with which they have ignited without extinguishing it. And some say that if she stipulates before she ignited that she is not accepting the Sabbath until the cantor says "Bless," it works. And some say it does not work. And some dissent (from the author Halakhos Gedolos) and say that she does not accept the Sabbath by igniting the lamp but rather by the evening prayer, because when the cantor says "Bless" all refrain from their labor; and according to these, when we begin with "A song for the Sabbath Day," that is like "Bless." RAMA: And the practice is that a woman who ignites accepts the Sabbath in that ignition if she has not before stipulated, and even a mental stipulation counts. (Mordechai) But the rest of the house's residents are permitted labor until "Bless." And the essence of the ignition resides in the lamps ignited on the table but not in the rest of the lamps in the house. (Or Zarua) And it is necessary to place the candles at the ignition site, and not to ignite them in one place and move them to another. (Mordechai's commentary on Bava Metzia)

11. Even though the community has not yet prayed, if an individual precedes them and says Sabbath prayers, from the prior day on he has accepted the Sabbath and is prohibited from labor. And even if he said that he did not intend to accept the Sabbath.

12. If most of the community has accepted the Sabbath, the minority is forcibly drawn after them.

13. A man that comes to a city on Sabbath Eve and already the city's residents have accepted the Sabbath -- even though the day yet stretches, if he has upon him some trifle or any object he must drop it.

14. If on a cloudy day the congregation errs and believes it is darkening and so ignites lamps and prays the evening prayer of the Sabbath, and afterwards the clouds part and the sun shines, they need not repeat the evening prayer if they prayed after Plag Ha-Mincha. If it is an individual that erred in this, he must repeat the evening prayer. And as regards the matter of doing labor -- in both the case of the congregation and the individual they are permitted, because the acceptance of the Sabbath was in error. And some say that those who ignited lamps are prohibited from doing labor, and the rest of the house's residents are permitted. And some say that the lamp which was ignited for the Sabbath -- it is prohibited to touch it and to add to it oil. Even if it is extinguished it is prohibited to move it.

15. One who waits to pray the afternoon prayer on Sabbath Eve until the community has accepted the Sabbath cannot pray the afternoon prayer in that synagogue; rather he must exit to a different synagogue and pray the afternoon prayer of a weekday. And [this is in the case of] one that didn't accept the Sabbath with them, but if he did answer ["Bless"] and accept the Sabbath with them he cannot pray a weekday prayer but rather prays the evening prayer twice.

16. If he arrives at a synagogue close to the acceptance by the congregation of the Sabbath, he begins to pray the afternoon prayer and even though whilst he prays the congregation accepts the Sabbath, this does not matter -- behold, he has begun permissibly.

17. Some say that one who accepts the Sabbath before darkness is permitted to instruct his fellow Jew to do labor for him. RAMA: And it is permitted to benefit from this labor on the Sabbath, and even more so on Saturday night. And after one prays on Saturday night, or finishes his meal at night, one may instruct his fellow Jew who has already prayed [the evening prayer] and distinguished [the Sabbath from the weekday] to do labor for him, i.e. to light for him lamps or cook for him, and it is permitted to benefit and to eat of his labor -- so it appears to me.