Lighting Shabbos Candles, part 3 vol.2 no.18
The appropriate time for women to recite the bracha over the Shabbos candles is immediately after they are lit. Due to conformity with general brachos guidelines, they should refrain from gazing at the candles until after completing the bracha. Therefore, the common practice of women is to cover their eyes after lighting the candles until after reciting the bracha.
The following rules apply to the particular circumstances of boarders and Shabbos guests. Although the primary requirement of candle lighting is to facilitate light at the Shabbos table, the requirement extends to procuring safety in all rooms used during the Shabbos. Therefore, if one is a guest or boards by a family and has exclusive rights to a bedroom he or she is obligated to light Shabbos candles in that room. This situation presents a genuine obligation and a bracha must be recited over this lighting. Care must be given to insure that these candles are sufficiently large to provide a realistic benefit after dark.
If one does not have exclusive rights to a room the following options are available. If he is married and his wife is lighting elsewhere, he can rely upon her lighting the Shabbos candles with him in mind. If this is not the case one should acquire partnership in the candles or oil used by the lady of the house, thereby including himself in her lighting. Under limited circumstances, when one is away from home for a short period, one can rely upon his mother to include him when lighting her Shabbos candles.
If a family is invited for the entire Shabbos the following halachic guidelines apply. If they have exclusive rights to any of the rooms in the house a genuine lighting obligation exists. They should therefore light the Shabbos candles in those particular rooms and recite a Bracha over this lighting. In this situation the candles must serve a realistic purpose and must provide actual lighting benefits during the night. If they have no exclusive rights to any rooms, their Shabbos candles should be lit in the dining room. They may acquire partnership in the candles which are lit by the lady of the house. However, common practice is for the visiting family to light their own Shabbos candles there.
If the family is only visiting for the Friday night meal the following halachic ruling applies. Whenever possible they should light the candles in their own house before leaving home. Again, special care must be given that they derive an actual benefit from the lighting at night . If this is not possible, they must light at their host's home. As in the above, they can acquire partnership in the candles lit by the lady of the house or, if they choose, they may light their own Shabbos candles there.
Use 
to go to the next halacha page.
