We continue with our Erev Shabbos Hilchos Shabbos series. The following Halachos are excerpted from the Sefer Meoros HaShabbos:

1. The mitzvah of Shabbos candles is fulfilled primarily with the candles lit in the place of the Shabbos meal. Eating by their light is considered Oneg Shabbos, as discussed above. Therefore, one should eat his Shabbos meal where the candles are lit. One may not leave them to eat in a different room or in the yard, unless there is good reason for doing so.

2. Since the meal must be eaten where the candles are lit, Kiddush must also be recited there, since Kiddush must be recited where the meal is being eaten. If one lights candles at home but eats at someone else’s house where candles are lit, his candles must burn until he returns home, so that he may benefit from them. If the candles go out before he returns, he did not fulfill the mitzvah, and his brocha is levatala.

3. Some hotels forbid lighting candles in the guest’s rooms or even the dining area, for safety reasons. Instead, they designate a common area where everyone may light together. If this area will not be used that night, and no one will benefit from the candles, it is uncertain whether she can fulfill her obligation to light her candles there. A competent halachic authority should be consulted in such a case.