Shabbos Illuminated: Learning Hilchot Shabbat with Rav Shlomo Katz

Can Shabbos candles be electric? What about fluorescent bulbs or LED lights?

Rav Shlomo Katz dives into the halachic and spiritual criteria for fulfilling the mitzvah of Hadlakat Nerot. What qualifies as a kosher Shabbos light, and why?

There’s a beautiful dance at candle-lighting time, but who leads first: the flame or the blessing?

Rav Shlomo Katz explores the two primary minhagim surrounding the order of lighting Shabbos candles and reciting the bracha.

Why do some light first and others bless first? What’s the deeper reasoning behind each approach? And how does this moment which is seemingly so small, open the gates to the holiness of Shabbos?

Why is the mitzvah of lighting Shabbat candles traditionally given to women, and where should the candles be lit?

Rav Shlomo Katz learns from Peninei Halakha the deeper reason behind women’s role in lighting Shabbos candles, and the practical halachos that come with it.

Where did the mitzvah of lighting Shabbos candles come from?

Rav Shlomo Katz learns from Peninei Halakha about the origins and halachic purpose of this cherished obligation.

More than just a tradition, lighting candles brings shalom bayit, oneg, and kavod Shabbat into the home, transforming the atmosphere and marking the sacred transition from weekday into holiness.

What is the proper way to acknowledge Tosefet Shabbat and actually make it real?

Rav Shlomo Katz learns from Peninei Halakha how taking in Shabbos early isn’t just about lighting candles or watching the clock. It’s about intention, declaration, and honoring the power of your own word.

Because when you say, “It’s Shabbos now,” it becomes Shabbos. And that moment of commitment has weight in halacha, and in Heaven.

The moment Shabbos begins isn’t as simple as sunset. Rav Shlomo Katz learns from Peninei Halakha about the halachic weight of twilight—bein hashmashot—and how it shapes the way we welcome in the holy day.

We explore how this in-between time carries deep significance, both legally and spiritually. Because knowing when Shabbos begins helps us know how to begin Shabbos.

When it comes to Shabbos clocks, going on cruises, & even watering your garden, the world of Halacha provides for us a beautiful way of honoring Shabbos.

Rav Shlomo Katz learns from Peninei Halakha about the do’s and don’ts of Erev Shabbat: what we should avoid in the final hours before candle lighting, and what we’re meant to embrace.

Because how we transition into Shabbos sets the tone for everything that follows. When approached with intention, even the busiest Erev Shabbat becomes part of the holiness of the day itself.

Rav Shlomo Katz continues learning Peninei Halakha and covers the halachot and practical guidelines around last-minute preparations for Shabbos—what’s permitted, what to be careful with, and how to enter Shabbos with presence, even when time is short.

If Shabbos is a taste of Gan Eden, why does Friday afternoon so often feel like Gehinom?

Rav Shlomo Katz explores how proper preparation is not just helpful, it’s halacha. Drawing from Peninei Halakha, we learn how getting ready for Shabbos is part of keeping Shabbos itself, and how small shifts during the week can bring peace, presence, and joy into Erev Shabbat.

Do I keep Shabbos or am I just making sure that I don't mechalel Shabbos?