Q. A woman whose husband made “early Shabbos” may not do any Melacha after the time that her husband was Mekabel Shabbos. [This is unlike the opinion of the Gaon Rav Feinstein zatzal, but this is the ruling of many poskim, including the Shevet HaLevi, the Gaon Rav Wosner zatzal.]
So the question I have is: If a shul is mekabel Shabbos with "Mizmor Shir" etc. at exactly Plag Hamincha, when should the wife (whose husband davens in that shul) light Shabbos candles?
A. Igrois Moishe (O.H. 3: 38) indeed maintains that the early Shabbos acceptance of the husband does not oblige his wife to refrain from melochos. However, this applies when he does so for the convenience of an early meal during the summer months and not for the mitzva of tosefes Shabbos in a minyan kavua.
Piskei Teshuvos (263: 37) after quoting the Mekor Chaim and Chavos Yoir, that also maintain that the kabolas Shabbos of the husband includes the wife, mentions (ibid. n. 337) that this applies only to the proper beginning of the M’ariv davening and not to the prior recited mizmorim. Nevertheless, even if it would commence at “Mizmor shir leyom HaShabbos,” since “Lecha Dodi” is usually sang and repeated by all, adding the recitation of the prior six mizmorim, you end up with at least ten minutes from the beginning of kabolas Shabbos .
Therefore, Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit”a suggests, that kabolas Shabbos should begin at plag, thus giving the women ten or more minutes to light candles. (See also questions 88 and 98 in this forum).
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit'a
Important Numbers
