Turning on a C-Pap Machine after Hadlokas Neiros

Question

I am a middle-aged woman who lives by herself in Yerushalayim. I am currently in bidud, quarantine, for corona. I suffer from sleep apnea, and at night I sleep with a C-Pap, an electric-powered machine that helps me breathe properly when I am sleeping. Last Shabbos, the following question came up and I would like to check if I acted properly.

I lit neiros Shabbos, and before making a brocha, I realized that I forgot to turn on my C-Pap machine. Normally, I would have called a neighbor to turn it on for me, but since I am in quarantine, I did not have that option. I was not sure if I had accepted Shabbos upon myself, but since there is an element of danger in refraining from using this machine, I turned it on myself. Was this the proper course of action?

Thank you.

Rav Auerbach

I am very sorry that you are in quarantine and I hope that you do not have corona. May you be back on your feet soon.

As far as your question is concerned, I think that you acted properly, but I would like to give some background information. There is a dispute amongst the Rishonim regarding what happens when one lights Shabbos candles. Some Rishonim argue that when one lights Shabbos candles, he does not accept Shabbos upon himself (Ran, Shabbos 10a, citing the Ramban).

However, according to the Behag (Hilchos Chanukah, siman 9, page 158), when one lights Shabbos candles, he accepts Shabbos upon himself. Some explain that Chazal instituted that lighting the Shabbos candles is the way that one accepts Shabbos upon himself (Ran ibid.). Others explain that lighting candles does not bring in Shabbos; rather, when one recites the brocha of lehadlik ner shel Shabbos, he accepts Shabbos upon himself (Ravya, Shabbos 199, Tashbatz Koton 14).

Now that we have provided this background information, we can deal with your question. According to the Rishonim that one does not accept Shabbos when lighting candles, you can certainly turn on your machine after hadlokas neiros. Even according to the Behag, who rules that hadlokas neiros is kabbolas Shabbos, and according to the Rishonim that one accepts Shabbos with the bnrocha, since you only lit the candles, you can still turn on your machine.

What is the halacha?

My father, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (as cited in Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasah 2,43,36), explained that the minhag today is that one only accepts Shabbos after the brocha. Based on this, there would be no problem at all to turn on your machine afterwards.

The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 163:10) states that some women are stringent and treat the hadlokah as accepting Shabbos, and they therefore do not put out the match after lighting the Shabbos candles. Rather, they drop it. If you are generally stringent, then you would have accepted Shabbos upon yourself after the hadlokah and turning on the machine could be problematic.

However, from what I understand, there is an element of danger for you to sleep without the C-Pap machine. Especially if you might have corona, this is not the time to start taking chances with your health. If you are normally stringent not to extinguish the match, I would have ruled that you should turn the machine on with a shinui, e.g., with your elbow.