Blew out Shabbos candles mid blessing

 

Question:

My wife is away and so I had to light Shabbos candles to bring in Shabbos.

I was running around just before lighting the candles and was breathing heavily.
Just before I lit the candles, I had in mind that after that it would be Shabbos.

As I was lighting candles, I did not put out the match as I know my wife does not, but I was wondering why not because in my mind only after saying the bracha is when Shabbos would begin.

Then I covered my eyes and began saying the bracha.

Unfortunately, due to my heavy breathing (from running around beforehand getting last minute things ready) I unintentionally blew out the candles, as I said the words meleach haolam and then noticed the candles were blown out.

I was in a quandary as to what to do next. Do I relight the candles from the still lit match, and then continue with asher kideshanu etc.?

Or do I just leave them unlit, and stop saying the bracha midway and rather say Baruch shem kevod…

And of relighting the candle – was that already breaking Shabbos?

(I had in mind that Shabbos comes in after finishing the bracha, not from lighting the candles first, which is why I was wondering why I couldn’t put the match out).

Also, if one should relight the candles, was that ok to just finish the bracha that I had started, or did I have to start the bracha again?

 

Answer:

Men do not accept Shabbos when lighting candles (though it is still better if they clearly stipulate that they wish not to accept Shabbos), therefore you may relight and put out a fire after lighting. In this case, you should relight the candles and then continue with אשר קדשנו.

No need to make a new bracha. Still best to say ברוך שם later.

Ideally, men should make the bracha before lighting. See here:

When a man lights Shabbos Candles, when does he make the Bracha?

Even if a man intends to accept Shabbos with saying the bracha, or even if this would happen to a woman, still the same answer would apply, so long the bracha wasn’t concluded.

 

Sources:

וגם באשה למעשה אין הקבלה חלה עד סוף הברכה. והארכנו כאן במנהג שלא לכבות גם לפני הברכה.

Are allowed to use a lighter to light Shabbos candles or you can only use a match?

וא״צ לברך ברכה חדשה שהברכה על ההנאה ולא על ההדלקה. והארכנו בלוח לחנוכה בכיו״ב, בנשפך השמן וכדומה, קחנו משם. ונדו״ד עדיף.

 

 

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