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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION
Siman רע״ז · 5 Seifim
Not causing the Shabbos lamp to be extinguished — to discover and understand
סימן רע״ז
שֶׁלֹּא לִגְרוֹם כִּבּוּי הַנֵּר
🌱 Introductory Level · Beginners
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First approach to Siman רע״ז: full Hebrew text of the Mechaber, clear English translation, pedagogical explanations of the halachic concepts, modern practical cases, and synthesis.
Subject: Not causing the Shabbos lamp to be extinguished
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן רע״ז (5 seifim)
Compiled by: רב יוסף חיים סממה
DAAT · daattorah.com
📑 Study plan
1. The text of the Shulchan Aruch — the 5 seifim of the Mechaber
2. The general context: why this siman, what is the question?
3. The key halachic concepts of this siman
4. Detail of the seifim — one by one
5. The Mishnah Berurah — first entries
6. The position of the Rama — Ashkenazi vs Sephardic differences
7. Modern practical cases
8. Practical synthesis and rules to remember
9. Comprehension questions
1. The text of the Shulchan Aruch
Siman רע״ז contains 5 seifim of the Mechaber (Rabbi Yosef Karo) that codify the halachos relating to not causing the Shabbos lamp to be extinguished.
Seif 1 — Lamp behind the door or attached to the door
שלא לגרום כיבוי הנר. ובו ה סעיפים:
נר שמונח אחורי הדלת אסור לפתוח הדלת (כדרכו) (רמב"ם פ"ה ומרדכי פרק כ"ב וב"י בשם סמ"ג) שמא יכבנו הרוח (אבל) לנעול הדלת כנגדו מותר (ת"ה סי' נ"ט) (וה"ה בחלון שכנגד הנר שעל השלחן) (מרדכי פכ"ב וב"י בשם תוס' וטור) ואם הוא קבוע בכותל באחורי הדלת אסור לפתוח הדלת ולנעלו כדרכו שמא תהא הדלת נוקשת עליו ותכבנו אלא פותח ונועל בנחת ואם הוא קבוע בדלת עצמו שפתיחתו ונעילתו מקרב השמן לנר או מרחיקו ממנו אסור לפותחו ולנעלו: הגה ובנר של שעוה מותר לפתוח ולנעול אע"פ שהוא קבוע בדלת (ב"י):
Translation: A lit lamp placed behind the door — assur to open the door (in the usual manner) [Rambam; Mordechai; Beis Yosef in the name of the Smag], lest the wind extinguish it. But one may close the door [Terumas HaDeshen 59] (the wind only acts when opening). The same applies to a window opposite the lamp on the table [Mordechai; Beis Yosef in the name of Tosafos and the Tur]. If affixed to the wall behind the door: assur to open or close briskly — the door could strike it. Solution: open and close gently. If affixed to the door itself (oil lamp where the door transmits movement) — completely assur (the movement shifts the oil relative to the wick). Hagaha (Rama): wax candle — muttar even if affixed to the door (wax does not shift) [Beis Yosef].
What this seif says:
- The siman is not about extinguishing but about causing extinction — as its title says: שלא לגרום כיבוי הנר.
- A lamp behind the door: one does not open it in the usual way, lest the wind put it out. Closing it, however, is permitted.
- Fixed in the wall behind the door: one opens and closes gently — the risk is the knock, not the wind.
- Fixed to the door itself, so that the movement draws the oil towards the wick or away from it: forbidden to open and close.
- Rema: with a wax candle, opening and closing remain permitted — there is no oil to shift.
Seif 2 — Door facing a fire
אסור לפתוח הדלת כנגד המדורה שהיא קרובה קצת אל הדלת ואפי' אין שם אלא רוח מצויה אבל אם היה פתוח כנגדה מותר לסגרו ואין בו משום מכבה:
Translation: Assur to open the door facing a large fire (medurah) that is close to the door — even if there is only an ordinary breeze outside (the large fire is more vulnerable than a single lamp). But if the door was already open — muttar to close it (protective action, not mechabeh).
What this seif says:
- Facing a מדורה near the door one does not open — even if there is only an ordinary breeze outside.
- The open fire is more exposed than a lamp: the seif lowers the threshold of the wind feared.
- If the door was already open, closing it is permitted — ואין בו משום מכבה.
Seif 3 — Lamp forgotten on the board
שכח נר על הטבלא מנער את הטבלא והוא נופל אפי' אם הוא דולק רק שלא יכוין לכבותו: הגה וטוב לעשות ע"י עכו"ם במקום שאינו צריך כ"כ: (כל בו) ובלבד שיהא נר של שעוה וכיוצא בו או שלא יהא בו שמן אבל אם יש בו שמן א"א שלא יקרבנו אל הפתילה ונמצא מבעיר ואם הניח עליה מדעת אסור לנערה שהרי הטבלא הוא בסיס (פי' דבר הנושא דבר אחר תרגום ואת כנו וית בסיסיה) לדבר האסור: הגה ומ"מ מותר ליגע בטבלא הואיל ואינו מטלטל הנר והוא הדין שמותר ליגע במנורה שבבית הכנסת והנרות דולקות עליו ובלבד שלא ינענע (מרדכי פכ"ב):
Translation: A lamp forgotten on a board (tavla) — one may shake the board so that the lamp falls, even if lit — provided one does not have intent to extinguish it. Hagaha: better through a non-Jew when not urgent (Kol Bo). Condition: a wax candle (or one without oil). If it has oil — assur: the movement would shift the oil near the wick → mav'ir. If placed intentionally (not forgotten): assur to shake — the board is a basis (lit. that which carries something else, as the Targum renders "ve'es kano" — "veyas besiseih") for a forbidden object (the lit lamp is muktzeh). Hagaha: muttar to touch the board (without moving it) — even the lit menorah of the shul. As long as one does not move it (Mordechai).
What this seif says:
- A lamp forgotten on a board: one may shake the board so it falls, even while lit — provided one does not intend to extinguish it.
- Rema: better through a non-Jew where it is not urgent; and it must be a wax candle, or one without oil — otherwise one would draw the oil towards the wick and thereby kindle.
- The word "forgotten" carries the whole seif: placed there knowingly, the board becomes a בסיס לדבר האסור and may no longer be shaken.
- Rema: one may nonetheless touch the board — and likewise the synagogue menorah while the lamps burn — provided one does not jolt it.
Seif 4 — Lamp on a tree
מותר להניח נר של שבת מבעוד יום על גבי אילן וידליק שם בשבת דליכא למיחש דלכשיכבה לשקליה מיניה ונמצא משתמש במחובר אבל אין מניחין נר של י"ט על גבי אילן דשקיל ומנח ליה ונמצא משתמש באילן:
Translation: Muttar to place a Shabbos lamp before Shabbos on a tree (= its branch) — there is no concern that one will remove it on Shabbos (the lamp is muktzeh while lit, and one will not take it down). But on Yom Tov — the lamp is not muktzeh after extinguishing (one may extinguish/kindle on Yom Tov), so one would take it down → using something attached to the tree (mishtamesh be-mechubar) — assur.
What this seif says:
- Placing a Shabbos lamp on a tree before the day begins is permitted: once lit it will be muktzeh, so no one will take it down.
- For Yom Tov, the reverse: the lamp is not muktzeh there, one would take it down — and would thereby have made use of the tree.
- It is not the tree that changes, but the status of the lamp according to the day.
Seif 5 — Overturning a vessel onto the lamp
מותר לכפות קערה על גבי הנר בשבת כדי שלא יאחוז האור בקורה:
Translation: Muttar to overturn a vessel (ke'arah) onto the lamp on Shabbos — so that the fire does not catch the beam (korah — wooden ceiling beams, risk of fire). Passive protective act — no direct mechabeh, since the flame continues to burn inside the vessel (it will extinguish on its own from lack of oxygen = gerama de-kibbuy).
Overview of the 5 seifim: the siman codifies the causal actions that could extinguish the Shabbos lamp — distinguishing several levels of risk:
• Wind outside (seifim 1-2): opening opposite the lamp/fire is assur; closing is muttar
• Movement of oil (seif 1 and 3): oil lamp = risk of mav'ir. Wax = no risk
• Muktzeh / basis (seif 3): lamp placed intentionally = basis; forgotten = not basis (so shaking is muttar)
• Location and Yom Tov (seif 4): tree OK on Shabbos (lamp will stay) but not Yom Tov
• Passive protection (seif 5): overturning a vessel = gerama de-kibbuy, muttar for danger
• Wind outside (seifim 1-2): opening opposite the lamp/fire is assur; closing is muttar
• Movement of oil (seif 1 and 3): oil lamp = risk of mav'ir. Wax = no risk
• Muktzeh / basis (seif 3): lamp placed intentionally = basis; forgotten = not basis (so shaking is muttar)
• Location and Yom Tov (seif 4): tree OK on Shabbos (lamp will stay) but not Yom Tov
• Passive protection (seif 5): overturning a vessel = gerama de-kibbuy, muttar for danger
What this seif says:
- Turning a dish over onto the lamp is permitted, כדי שלא יאחוז האור בקורה — so the fire does not catch the beam.
- This is not extinguishing: the flame goes on burning beneath the dish.
- The siman closes on its own axis: to protect without extinguishing.
2. The general context
The principle: not causing extinction
Siman 277 continues the sequence of "issurim around the lamp" (siman 265 on vessels, 275 on reading, 276 on a non-Jew) — but with a new nuance: indirect causal actions. Not extinguishing directly, but causing the extinction (wind through an opened door, movement of oil).
The central concept is gerama de-kibbuy (indirect cause of extinction) — which can be muttar (overturning a vessel to protect from a fire) or assur (opening a door opposite the lamp) depending on the directionality.
The fundamental question: which everyday acts (opening/closing a door, moving furniture, shaking a board) are permitted/forbidden when a Shabbos lamp is in the field of action? How does one distinguish between "causing a foreseeably avoidable extinction" and "acting for safety (passive protection)"?
Place in Hilchos Shabbos
Siman רע״ז follows siman 276 (non-Jew kindling) and precedes 278 (extinguishing for a sick person) + 279 (muktzeh tiltul of the lamp). It is the second-to-last siman of the "lamps" sequence.
3. The key halachic concepts
Concept 1 — גְּרַם כִּבּוּי (gerama de-kibbuy): "indirect cause of extinction". Not the de'oraysa melachah of mechabeh, but an action that causes extinction without causing it immediately. Status: muttar to protect from danger (seif 5), assur as a foreseeable temptation (seifim 1-2).
Concept 2 — בָּסִיס לְדָבָר הָאָסוּר (basis lemuktzeh): "support for a forbidden object". If a lit lamp (muktzeh) is intentionally placed on an object — that object itself becomes muktzeh as long as the lamp is on it. But if forgotten (not placed intentionally) — no basis.
Concept 3 — Oil lamp vs wax candle: structural distinction. Oil lamp = risk that movement shifts the oil relative to the wick (modification of combustion = mav'ir/mechabeh). Wax candle (solid) = no such risk, hence more lenient rules (seif 1 Rama, seif 3).
Concept 4 — Shabbos vs Yom Tov difference for muktzeh: on Yom Tov, one may extinguish/kindle (for food preparation) — so a lamp is not muktzeh on Yom Tov in the same way as on Shabbos. Consequence for seif 4 (tree): muttar on Shabbos (one won't take it down), assur on Yom Tov (one will).
4. Synoptic view of the 5 seifim
| Seif | Case | Pesak |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamp behind the door | Open: assur (wind). Close: muttar. Affixed to door (oil): all assur. Wax: OK. |
| 2 | Door facing a fire (medurah) | Open: assur even ordinary breeze. Close: muttar (protection). |
| 3 | Lamp forgotten on board | Shaking so it falls = muttar if wax (no intent of mechabeh). If placed intentionally = basis = assur. Touching the board without moving: OK. |
| 4 | Lamp on a tree | Shabbos: muttar (lamp will stay = no mishtamesh be-mechubar). Yom Tov: assur (will take down). |
| 5 | Overturning a vessel onto the lamp | Muttar to prevent the fire reaching the ceiling — gerama de-kibbuy for safety. |
5. The Mishnah Berurah — first entries
The Mishnah Berurah of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (the Chofetz Chaim) contains 24 entries on this siman. Here are the first ones — to better understand the meaning of the seifim:
משנה ברורה (א) — (א) נר וכו' - ואין חלוק בזה בין נר של שמן או שעוה וחלב:
משנה ברורה (ב) — (ב) אחורי הדלת - כגון דלת שנפתחת לפנים ומאחריה מונח בבית נר דלוק. ודוקא כשהוא נגד פתיחת הדלת ממש וקרוב אל הדלת בענין שכשיפתח הדלת יוכל להכבות ע״י הרוח המנשב מבחוץ ומש״כ כדרכו עיין במ״א שכתב דט״ס הוא דאפילו אם הוא פותח הדלת בנחת מ״מ הרוח מבחוץ מנשב ואסור וכן סתמו כמה אחרונים ועיין בבה״ל:
משנה ברורה (ג) — (ג) הרוח - עיין במ״א סי' תקי״ד סק״ט דאפילו אם אין הרוח מנשב עתה ג״כ יש לאסור דבכל רגע ורגע הרוח מנשב וא״א להבחין בזה ויש מקילין בזה ונ״ל דבמקום הדחק יש להקל בזה כשפותח הדלת בנחת לאט לאט שלא יגרום הדלת גופא לרוח שיבא:
For the full text of the 24 entries, see Sefaria: Mishnah Berurah 277.
6. The position of the Rama — 3 hagahos
- Hagaha on seif 1: "ובנר של שעוה מותר לפתוח ולנעול" — a wax candle affixed to the door = OK (the wax does not shift like oil). Source: Beis Yosef.
- Hagaha on seif 3 (a): "וטוב לעשות ע״י עכו״ם במקום שאינו צריך כל כך" — preferable to shake the board through a non-Jew when not pressed. Source: Kol Bo.
- Hagaha on seif 3 (b): "ומכל מקום מותר ליגע בטבלא" — muttar to touch the board (without moving it). Including the lit shul menorah, provided one does not move it. Source: Mordechai.
7. Modern practical cases
| Situation | Application |
|---|---|
| Shabbos lamp on the table near the window | If wind outside: do not open the window. Closing an already-open window: muttar (s.1). |
| Lamp on bedroom table — front door | If lamp faces the door and wind outside: open gently (s.1). Better: move the lamp before Shabbos. |
| Lamp forgotten on the table where you want to eat | If wax and forgotten (= placed without intent to keep it there): shaking the table to make it fall is muttar (s.3) — not if oil. |
| Chanukah candle on a wooden railing | Analogous application to seif 4 — placed before Shabbos, OK (will not be removed). |
| Fire threatening the house on Shabbos | Overturning a vessel onto the initial flame (s.5) — muttar. If real fire = pikuach nefesh, one extinguishes without restriction. |
| Lamp flickering — close the door? | Closing = muttar (protection). But opening opposite the lamp to "check" = assur. |
8. Practical synthesis of the siman
The 5 rules to remember from Siman רע״ז:
- Lamp behind a door: open = assur (wind). Close = muttar.
- Lamp affixed to the door: all movement assur for oil lamps. Wax = OK (Rama).
- Lamp forgotten on board: shaking muttar (wax, no intent to extinguish). Intentionally placed = basis assur.
- Lamp on tree: Shabbos OK (no use of the tree). Yom Tov assur (will take down).
- Overturning a vessel: muttar to prevent fire — gerama de-kibbuy for safety (s.5).
9. Comprehension questions
Check your understanding:
- What is gerama de-kibbuy? What are the 2 uses in this siman (s.1 and s.5)?
- What is the difference between an oil lamp and a wax candle for this siman?
- What is basis lemuktzeh? What is the exception in case of forgetting (s.3)?
- Why can one place the lamp on the tree on Shabbos but not on Yom Tov (s.4)?
- When can one touch the board/menorah without moving it?
- Why is it muttar to overturn a vessel onto the flame (s.5)?
- What is the analogy between door and window opposite the lamp?
To go further
If you want to delve deeper into this siman:
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