Arukh HaShulchan, Orach Chaim 267:3-268:1

Sugya Map

• Issue: The temporal nexus between Hadlakas Neirot and Kabbalas Shabbos for an individual, particularly concerning the Mitzvah of Tosefes Shabbos.
• Nafka Mina: Whether one who lights candles m'be'od yom thereby accepts Shabbos immediately, rendering subsequent melacha prohibited for them, even significantly prior to plag hamincha.
• Primary Sources: B. Shabbos 23b; Rambam, Hil. Shabbos 5:1; Arukh HaShulchan, Orach Chaim 267:3-268:1.

Text Snapshot

The Arukh HaShulchan asserts: "מצוה להקדים ולהדליק מבעוד יום... אנן קיימא לן כתנא קמא דסבירא ליה דמדליקין מבעוד יום" (OC 267:3). He then clarifies, "המדליק קבל עליו שבת אף קודם פלג המנחה" (OC 267:5).

• Dikduk/Leshon Nuance: The term "מצוה" (a mitzvah) is potent. It's not merely mutar (permitted) but preferable to light early, aligning with the Tosefes Shabbos imperative. The phrase "אף קודם פלג המנחה" ("even before plag hamincha") pushes the envelope on what constitutes "early."

Readings

• Rambam (Hil. Shabbos 5:1): Establishes Tosefes Shabbos as a Torah-level mitzvat assei – "צריך להוסיף מחול על הקודש" – framing the extension of holiness over the mundane as a fundamental obligation.
• Rosh (Shabbos 2:8): Articulates the widely accepted din that for women, Hadlakas Neirot functions as their Kabbalas Shabbos, binding them to the Shabbos prohibitions from that moment.

Friction

• Kushya: If it's a mitzva to light "מבעוד יום" and "אף קודם פלג המנחה" (AHS), does this suggest a boundless window for Kabbalas Shabbos? How does this square with the typical understanding of zman Hadlakas Neirot?
• Terutz: The Arukh HaShulchan's clarity in 267:5 points to a personal acceptance. While the communal Kabbalas Shabbos generally occurs at plag hamincha or later, an individual's Hadlakas Neirot (especially women's) can activate a private Kabbalas Shabbos much earlier, fulfilling Tosefes Shabbos in its most expansive sense.

Intertext

• B. Shabbos 23b: The foundational sugya debating R. Tarfon's and R. Yose's views on Tosefes Shabbos and the permissibility of lighting early. The AHS explicitly sides with the former.
• Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 263:4: Discusses the mitzva of Tosefes Shabbos more broadly, reinforcing its application to both the beginning and end of Shabbos.

Psak/Practice

While the prevalent minhag is to light candles shortly before sunset (typically after plag hamincha), the Arukh HaShulchan highlights the halachic validity of an earlier, personal Kabbalas Shabbos through Hadlakas Neirot. This provides a crucial b'dieved or sha'at ha'dchak (time of need) solution, particularly for women, who might need to light significantly early.

Takeaway

Hadlakas Neirot is more than a mere ritual; it's a potent, individual Kabbalas Shabbos mechanism, capable of activating Shabbos even remarkably early, embodying the expansive mitzva of Tosefes Shabbos.