Placement of Shabbat candles for a public meal.
When men and women are having a communal Shabbat meal in a hall or a shul (synagogue), and there is a mechitza (partition) between them, where should the Shabbat candles be placed?
Answer: The preferred option is that there should be candles lit on both sides, so that both the men and the women are eating in the presence of lit candles. If one woman is lighting them, she should begin on the women’s side and then go to the men’s side without interrupting the act of lighting by speaking. She should then make the blessing and intend to cover all the candles that she has lit. If the candles may be lit only on one side, they should be lit on the men’s side.