Question 1) any issues making baby cereal on shabbos? Question 2) you forgot to make charoset on erev pesach, what to do? This melacha of kneading is the combining of small particles by means of a binding agent into a solid or even semi solid mass. Even adding or mixing liquid into a think sauce or batter is the melacha, such as mixing baby cereal with milk. To understand the kneading process there are 2 steps: 1) liquid comes into contact with the flour. 2) the 2 are mixed and blended with a kneading action. Both of these steps are forbidden. So it's forbidden to pour water into flour even without mixing and forbidden to mix water and flour even if it was already mixed. Examples would include: Mixing oil or mayonnaise into mashed avocado or juice into mashed bananas. However the melacha only applies to small bits which when combined will not be recognised individually but will be seen as 1 mass. Large chunks of food which remain clearly distinct are OK. Eg one can mix banana slices with sour cream or chunks of potatoes with mayonnaise to make potato salad as long as pieces are big enough to be clearly defined in the mixture. So, how to make your favourite egg mayonnaise on shabbos?! 1) add a lot of mayonnaise in with the purpose of producing a thin mixture. 2) reverse the order of adding the liquid, eg if usually add the egg first, now add egg first. (If no normal order add solids first.) 3) stir the mixture in an unusual manner eg crisscross. This would also be the way to make charoset on Seder night if you forgot to make it before yom tov,  ie: 1) reverse the order and add wine before the charoset  2) add a lot of wine to produce a thin charoset mixture  3) stir it slowly with either a finger or handle of a spoon. Other examples to look out for: 1) Making think oatmeal cereal, pudding or instant potatoes as these combinations produce think sticky non pourable mixtures. Not ok. 2) With baby cereal you can deal with this by preparing with a lot of liquid which will result in a batter type of mixture not a thick one. Then reverse the order of combining the ingredients and stir it in an unusual manner.

1) Filtering tap water? 2) Straining foods with a sieve? 3) Sifting clumps from powdered baby cereal? 4) Using a salt shaker? 5) Filtering pressed fruit juice? The melacha is the separation and removal of unwanted matter from a mixture by sifting it through a sieve or similar device, eg using a sieve to remove solidified clumps of sugar in a packet of sugar. Note, nothing wrong with using a sieve to spread thin coating of sugar on a cake as nothing is being sifted. This melacha is the act of separating or isolating from a mixture, not merely scattering or sprinkling particles. Not only is sifting included, but so is straining and filtering. So, straining sediment from wine for example is a problem. It applies to non food items too. It's irrelevant whether what you desire or don't desire is removed, either way its a problem. It's only a problem when it "significantly improves". But let's say most people would not be bothered by what's there, you can't define this as a "significant improvement ". So let's look at impurities in water. If it's so bad people wouldn't drink it under almost any circumstances then filtering would be a "significant improvement ". Other examples would include: tea containing many tea leaves, old wine with heavy sediment, fresh juice with lots or pips and peal. But even a level lower than this whereby there is a noticeable amount of impurities that most people would only drink if filtered is also a problem. So this would mean you shouldn't filter tap water that's safe but cloudy enough that most would filter it, tea containing a small number of leaves. It's only liquids containing mixtures that are drinkable to most people that are OK to filter, eg our tap water, so you can filter it on shabbos. Please note if someone is finicky you couldn't filter for them on shabbos. Question 1) Tap water ok to be filtered if in place where most people would be able to drink it without filtering. Question 2) Straining foods with a sieve not ok. Question 3) Sifting clumps from powdered baby food not ok. Question 4) Using a salt shaker is ok as it's only an issue when removing undesired particles. Would be an issue if undesirable matter was being held back in the sieve like cap. Question 5) Filtering pressed fruit juice is ok as long as it would be drinkable to most people in its untrained state. If you personally are finicky you couldn't strain it. In any event this only applies to minor things in juice like pulp and seeds that would bother people.

In the time of the Talmud most medicines were derived from herbs, which were prepared by grinding or pulverizing. This involves the melacha of grinding, therefore any form of medication or therapy was Rabbinically forbidden to safeguard the melacha. Even exercise would be included in this as it improves one's fitness. 1) As a rule any form of progressive therapy is forbidden, so any form of corrective or health enhancing therapy is included, eg, ingesting pills, use of ointments  acupuncture etc. This is even for a healthy person, therefore medications, exercise, vitamins taken to improve one's physical constitution are out. 2) However, vitamins are OK to maintain one's health, eg to prevent a relapse. Preventative therapy is ok as long as it doesn't also strengthen or also improve him. So vitamins not ok if also to improve his general health.  3) Only minor ailments are included in this prohibition. Severe illnesess etc were never restricted by Rabbinic ordinance.  4) Also note, if it could be excused as behaviour of a regular person it's ok, eg having a hot tea to sooth a throat is ok, as is taking a walk to ease tension, as people who are fine do these things too. 5) Medications that will only be effective when taken over many days consecutively may be taken.  Antibiotics are fine to continue with as needed to complete the course. 6) For an illness such as a headache that it's bad enough to confine him to bed, he can then take medicine.  We shall now look at a number of real life examples and get a feel for how complicated this can be and why to ask a Rabbi in all cases!: 1) Removing a splinter? OK as not healing, but removal of "outside affliction". 2) Talcum powder for perspiring feet? Ok as only absorbing troublesome moisture. 3) Applying a plaster (bandaid) on shabbos? Ok (as long as no ointment on it) as it merely covers and protects the wound. 4) Drinking whisky to to calm nerves? Ok as it could be something a regular person does. 5) Taking a pill when fearful a headache could come on? Ok as preventative. 6) Sleeping pills? Ok as fatigue isn't regarded as a medical condition.  What to do if I want/ need to take medication but it doesn't appear to follow any of the lenient examples? You can always camouflage it into food eg smeer with peanut butter or crush into a dribk before shabbos, as then it doesn't have appearance of medicine.

How to make a salad on Shabbos? Or otherwise put what could possibly potentially be wrong with making a nice salad on Shabbos? After the grain was isolated from the dirt it was ground into flour. The melacha of grinding is breaking down and reducing a sizable entity into small parts whereby it becomes suitable for a new use. So, crushing, chopping, pulverizing any object into small particles whether by hand or with a utensil. Eg chopping lumber into wood chips. By food, it's only an issue when food is reduced to small particles which makes it easier to eat.  There are 4 exceptions to grinding under which if you have even 1 of these 4 its ok: 1) It is only an issue with  earth grown foods. So, meat, fish, cheese etc can be chopped up. 2) There is no problem  of grinding after grinding.  So you could crush a cookie into tiny crumbs because the flour was already ground. 3) For immediate use is fine. So even if it wasn't pre ground, and it came from the ground you can reduce the fruit or vegetable to a pulverised mass eg by chewing on a carrot. 4) When done in an abnormal way is fine, eg grinding with the handle of a knife is ok. So, when we speak about making a salad on Shabbos, other than "borer" - sorting issues we saw such as removing bugs or taking the bad from the good, the issue to look out for is grinding related. The way to deal with this issue is to prepare the salad immediately before consumption. The other exemptions of not growing from the ground and being chopped previously don't apply. If it's not practical to chop the fruits or vegetables just "before" the meal you can avoid the issue by either using the back of a knife, or by cutting it into long thin slices under which the whole issue doesn't arise.

Some scenarios: 1) Removing bones in chicken or fish?  Can't do unless take some of good with it or whilst eating it to pull the bones out 2) Removing skin of chicken? Ok as considered same "type". 3) Trimming fat off meat? Must trim the meat from the fat. 4) Peeling an egg? This is fine as long as by hand and just before the meal. 5) Cracking a nut? Also fine. 6) Discovered small insects on lettuce how to dispose of the insect? Can't rinse leaf as that removing the bad from the good. So, solution is to cut away and discard part of leaf together with the insect. 7) Using a slotted spoon to remove salad or chullent? This is like a strainer ao no good. Unless it's a soupy chullent or thick dressing and undesired liquid isn't intended to be drained off. If you don't want the liquid drained, it's fine anyway. 8) Using a pot lid to allow soup to pour out whilst the noodles stay inside? This is a problem unless he makes sure to leave soup with the noodles. 9) Organising pieces of a game of different colours and returning to different compartments after been used? No good 10) Putting assorted books away that are left piled up? Best solution maybe to read a bit from each book before you put it away. 11) Setting the table on shabbos? Caution to do close to the meal and taking wanted cutlery from others not wanted. If it gives a nice feeling to have dining room set, this could be considered just before use even if done hours earlier.

1) Could there possibly be something wrong with removing the naturally unwanted nuts from the yum chocolate that's in a bowl? 2) What about getting those annoying bones out of my salmon? 3) What then about eating the delicious chicken off my plate whilst leaving the veg? After threshing, a mixed collection of waste matter remained there with grain kernels. They were sorted and removed by hand. So, for us it's a matter of choosing the bad from the good, eg, removing spoiled cherries from a bowel of cherries. This would be the melacha. The prohibition would also apply to things less desirable so if don't want nuts that are mixed with chocolate you couldn't remove the nuts, even if you happen to like both. Note, this melacha applies to both food and non food items, such as a mixture of cutlery. For us to have an issue of "sorting", 2 factors need to exist: 1) there must be a mixture  2) there must be 2 types in the mixture So, a bowl of cherries and blueberries has both criteria. Or a pile of mixed cutlery would too. But, if let's say clothing in a cupboard isn't mixed but hung loosely to each other, no problem. Or if it's just 1 type it's OK too, eg 2 cookies.  But, if a chocolate cake and coffee flavoured cake, that's 2 types, and therefore not ok. Other examples of things considered mixed: 1) peanuts with raisins 2) an assortment of laundry in a basket 3) assorted books stacked together  4) loose pages of books that got mixed. 5) bones in fish  6) seeds in melon 7) wrappers stuck to a candy  8) grapes attached to stems 9) cream on top of milk 10) hair in a liquid Other examples of things not considered mixed: 1) oranges and tangerines scattered on a table  2) assorted cutlery spread out on a table 3) apples in a bag 4) food on a plate  But..what if it's got the 2 criteria, ie a mixture and 2 types, is any way to get what I need out of the mixture? Eg how to eat a grape as its attached to its stem?!  When have these 3 criteria it's ok: 1) by hand as opposed to with a utensil like a fork or a sieve. You are allowed to use a utensil when its being used solely for convenience, eg cutlery so your hands stay clean. 2) the good from the bad 3) for immediate use So, to get chocolate from nuts, remove the 1 you want by hand for immediate use, it's that simple😄😉 Other ways to get what you desire from a "mixture": 1) Peeling fruits or removing wrappers 2) Cutting away some of the good with part of the bad, eg cut a little good bit of melon together with the pits 3) Scatter the mixture so it's no longer a mixture, eg scatter the washing or the cutlery and then you can take piece by piece  Lots of real life examples of this all next week..

1) Crushing snow? 2) Warming up chocolate cookies (on shabbos hot plate) where the chocolate will melt? 3) Squeezing or shampooing hair? 4) Brushing your teeth? Gemara tells us that one may not crush snow and hail on Shabbos for purpose of producing water. From this we learn it's a problem to produce liquids by breaking down solids or even semi solids. This would extend to crushing or warming ice, ice cream, butter, congealed fat or similar substances to cause to melt or dissolve. These activities resembles the process of crushing grapes for their juices. Included in this is chopping up juice concentrate so it devolves faster into water. However you can put ice cubes into a liquid to melt, or even to crush into small ice fragments to put immediately into your drink, as not trying to produce water.  That's the key, anything that is trying to break it down into a liquid is no good, so we don't stir a frozen cup of slush/slurpy. Nor can one squeeze a hand full of snow if the intention is to turn it into water. You can defrost a liquid at room temperature. It appears that using whip topping from a pressurised can could be problem as whilst in the can it's in a liquid form and once it comes out it becomes like foam. Some are lenient but interesting to see another possible application. In terms of melting margarine and the like, it's OK as long as most of  the melted liquid becomes absorbed into a solid substance. Please note there may be an issue of "cooking" when melting ice cream or chocolate on a hot piece of cake. We are discussing the present issue of changing a substance. If your hair becomes wet on shabbos you can't squeeze it to extract the water. Similarly shampooing is a similar issue.  Way to dry it is to wrap a towel around your hair to absord the wetness. You could use a dry toothbrush as long as done gently enough that it won't cause blood. A wet toothbrush is a problem as it involves pressing and squeezing the wet bristles of the toothbrush against the teeth. Toothpaste is also a separate issue.

1) How to clean up a spill on Shabbos? 2) Grapes vs Strawberries  3) Making a lemon tea on Shabbos? 4) Washing up on Shabbos? After the stalks of wheat were sheaved they were brought to fields and threshed, which is the removal of the grain kernels from their chaff. The basic concept of threshing is extracting fruit or vegetable from its natural inedible shell, peel or similar attachment, eg breaking apart kernels of wheat from the stems. This melacha applies to plant life and human life, eg expressing human milk or milking an animal, or crushing a honeycomb to extract honey are problems. Other examples of this melacha are: Removing peas from the pods or squeezing grapes for their juice. Squeezing is related to threshing as the juice is extracted from the solid fruit in the same way that grain is detached from husk and peas extracted from their inedible pods. There are 3 conditions under which one can extract liquids: 1) to improve food 2) squeezing liquids into solid foods 3) sucking fruits/vegetables Grapes and olives are in a stricter category and dont follow these exemptions, so you can't squeeze then onto a solid food nor can you suck out the juice. It's best to not even cut up fresh grapes or olives onto a plate as it's inevitable that juice will flow out.  Fruits commonly pressed for their juices, such as orange, lemon, apple and strawberry you can suck out the juice with your mouth, cut them on a plate, squeeze over a solid food, put them in tea, scrape it out with a spoon, or by lemon squeeze it over sugar which can then be stirred into tea, or cut a slice of lemon and place it in the tea.  But you can't press it against a glass for the juice to come out, eg lemon against a glass, nor slice the fruit over the tea. Also, squeezing a wet cloth or sponge or any wet fabric to expel absorbed liquid is the melacha, or even to press down on a soaked cloth. Best way to deal with a spill on a tablecloth is to gently use a spoon to pick up not yet observed liquid..or use a plastic table cloth😉. Other methods are to use a rag or towel, just don't wring it out. To wash dishes on shabbos, you can't use a sponge as the scrubbing exerts pressure and consequently the water will be squeezed out.  You can use a sponge that has a handle and to then wipe gently.  Or use a brush with stiff synthetic material or of plastic or wire mesh. Expressing milk for a baby is also an issue. A mother who needs to express milk on shabbos should use a hand pump, put liquid soap into a cup and it that way the milk will be unusable.

Can I  1) Pick up apples from the garden? 2) Rake leaves to form a compost pile? 3) Gather peanuts that have fallen in the kitchen? 4) Gather cutlery that has fallen? 5) Pick up a bunch of cotton shirts that have fallen? After reaping the cut stalks of produce were gathered and sheaved to be brought later to the threshing floor. Called the melacha of gathering. Essentially it's the collecting or combining of scattered fruits, produce or any other substance that grows from the ground, it applies to even 2 fruits even of different varieties. Additionally consolidating what has already been gathered such as compacting a mound of dates into a solid mass is also under gathering. Some examples of this melacha: 1) stringing figs 2) gathering a bucket of apples 3) raking leaves to form a compost pile You could pick up 1 fruit at a time and take into your house even though you will end up filling a container inside. Note, this is only where the fruits fell before shabbos! Otherwise are muktza under reaping (part 13). 4 exceptions to gathering: 1) the items must be earth grown, so cutlery can be gathered. 2) it must be gathered in its place of growth, so peanuts that scatter in the kitchen can be picked up. However note that if indoors is the place that it's ordinarily packed or consolidated, such as stringing figs, it's not ok indoors. 3) regathering isn't gathering, so if a basket of tomatoes tipped over in a garden you can collect them as they were already gathered once before. However if the fruits became scattered when they fell then for other reasons only do 2 or 3 at a time. 4) the objects must be in their original state, so wooden toys or cotton shirts can be gathered up even though from a material that in it's original state, gathering applies to.

Seems little to do with our lives!, some of questions to investigate: 1) Picking a plum 2) Walking on grass 3) Using a hammock  4) Riding a horse 5) Smelling a fruit on a tree Reaping is the uprooting or severing of any living plant or vegetation from its source of growth. This can be by uprooting an entire plant or even by breaking off a leaf or a branch. Classic examples? Picking an apple even though the tree remains rooted to the ground. Or picking vegetables, flowers or pulling weeds from a garden. We are not discussing merely inhibiting growth, that is ok and not included. Eg you can close a blind near a plant even though this will block sunlight. Some examples of how this melacha applies: 1) Removing moss from damp wood, as that's its natural growing surface.  2) Removing seeds from a jar of water where they are sprouting. 3) Lifting a potted plant from soil. 4) Removing a non muktza seed from the ground isn't a problem as long as remained there less than 2 days as the seeds not yet began to germinate. (Note - by dropping a seed onto the earth it's a problem immediately of sowing!) 5) Walking on grass is ok even though it may uproot grass because it's not inevitable. 6) Walking on delicate plants not ok as the stems will snap under foot, likewise heavy contact sports not simple at all. Even running on long grass an issue. 7) Deliberately kicking pollen laden dandelion not ok as the pollen will become detached. On top of this the Rabbi's restricted 4 areas that could lead to this melacha: 1) Using a Tree: Use includes climbing a tree, leaning against one or sitting on it. The concern was breaking off a part of the tree whilst on it. Therefore trees are muktza including even to lean one's full weight on it or even to place your jacket on it. 2) Using an animal: The Rabbi's were concerned riding an animal could lead to this melacha as one might need a stick to prod the animal and may rip it off a tree. 3) Smelling a fruit on a tree: Lest one come to pick it off the tree 4) Fruits that fell from a tree on Shabbos: Are muktza.

Sowing is the initiation or promotion of plant growth, whether accomplished by sowing, planting, watering or any other means. 1) Placing a seed on mud? 2) Planting a seed on a well used path? 3) Throwing remains of your apple core in the garden? 4) Washing hands over grass when having a picnic? 5) So how can you take off a sukkah roof when it's water logged and will get into the grass? 6) Covering a plant with a blanket to protect it from say the sunlight or cold 7) Plants, what's there status on Shabbos? 8) Flowers, what's there status on shabbos? 1) Placing a seed in mud is a problem as growth is possible. 2) Planting a seed on a well used path isn't a problem of sowing as the constant trampling will prevent the seeds from sprouting. Similarly fine to plant a seed in a dessert. 3) Must be careful of discarding fruits and vegetables outdoors as they could germinate in the ground. 4) Can't get water on grass as it promotes the growth. Just be careful not saying you can't drink outdoors. 5) It could be OK to take sukkah roof off even when you know the water will get onto the grass when either: The grass is already water saturated so not adding anything. Or if you open it over pavement even if it will then roll onto the grass. A way out of this is to put a plastic tarp out before yom tov and that way when you lift the roof it will spill onto the tarp. 6) Can't cover a plant with a blanket as it's promoting its growth. 7) Indoor plants are looked same way as outdoor ones so we don't water indoor plants, nor do we proposely improve the light, air or temperature. We can't put it on grass or even suspend it over grass as it as it's possible that in hakachik terms this assists in drawing extra nutrients from the soil. 8) Once a plant is detached it's no longer living so it's not muktza like a plant is. But we don't put into water if not done before shabbos.

Questions to look at: 1) Why would plowing be a problem? 2) What does plowing have to do with us anyway?? 3) Dragging a chair on mud, is that ok? 4) Digging in a sandbox, is that ok? 5) Can I remove rocks and twigs from a lawn? 6) Can I weeding? 7) Can I fertilise soil? 8) Can I place a bean in a jar of water? 9) Can I walk on soft soil and make a foot print? 10) Can I push a baby carriage on soil? Now we begin going through the 39 types of work they did in the mishkan, which was like the temporary temple whilst they travelled through the desert. In the mishkan they had the miraculous "lechem hapanim", which stayed fresh for an entire week! The 1st 11 melachas will go through the steps of producing the bread, the 1st of which is plowing. The basic premise of plowing is the preparation of soil for the purpose of making it more suitable for seeding or planting. Plowing loosens the soil, so any activity which loosens soil is included even if planting wasn't his intention.  So many ways we are involved in this even when we are not gardeners as we shall see. Remember the tiniest hole is sufficient to accommodate a very small seed. So going back to each question: 3) Not ok to drag a chair on earth as the chair legs scrape and loosen the soil whilst it's being dragged. 4) Digging in a sandbox is ok as it's too loose to form a hole. However if it was wet then could be an issue. (Reason sandbox not muktza is its automatically set aside for play.) 5) Removing rocks and the like not ok as it's making the land surface more cultivable. 6) Weeding not ok as it improves the soil potential. 7) Fertilising soil not ok as it enriches the soil so improving it for seeding or planting. 8) Placing a bean in a jar of water to sprout not ok. 9) Walking on soft soil is ok even if will cause a footprint because the walking only compresses the soil beneath the foot. Loosening the soil is the problem, not compressing it. Compacting soil doesn't improve it for planting. 10) Pushing baby carriage on soil is also ok even if get a wheel mark as again it merely compresses it.

What's the secret ingredient that keeps us going? The Gemara tells of the evil government that stopped us bringing wood to the temple in order that sacrifices wouldn't be able to be brought. And they stopped us bringing the first fruits to Jerusalem, which was part of a beautiful ceremony. Why did they stop these 2? Why not outlaw shabbos, mikva or circumcision? These 2 mitzvot had great celebrations associated with them. There were parades and more! *They knew what kept us going even at "tough" times was simcha - joy.* When I say tough it could be "tough" as our religion was persecuted or "tough " as maybe it's not cool to practice anymore. What we learn is joy in our mitzvah observance is the secret ingredient!! There are 2 different elements of Shabbos, the positive mitzvot we do like enjoying, making it special etc and the prohibitions like not doing work. *Our work is to not just focus on getting the laws of Shabbos right but to add to the great joy and associate with Shabbos. All blessings of the week come from Shabbos.* *Kiddush will be associated with this aspect.* Kiddush: *In the Ten Commandments we are commanded to “Remember the Shabbos day to sanctify it.”* One fulfills this Torah obligation by saying Kiddush on Shabbos. The Rabbis instituted the recitation of Kiddush over a cup of wine. Both *men and women* are equally obligated in this mitzvah. The cup must hold at least a 3.8 fl. oz.; 112 ml.  It is best to recite Kiddush using a silver kiddush cup. One may also use a glass or any other non-disposable cup. It is best to fill the cup to the top.  However, if one does not have enough wine to fill the cup he need not fill it, provided that the cup contains the measurement above of wine. Upon completing Kiddush, the one who recites it should drink a “m’lo lugmav,” the *amount of wine that fills one of his cheeks.*  For an average adult male, this is between 1.5 and 2 fl. oz. (44-59 ml).  This amount should be drunk within a 30 second time span If it is too difficult for the one who says Kiddush to drink a m’lo lugmav, *someone else may drink the cheek full.* Having cups of wine/grape juice prepared ahead of time so after you make kiddush you can share a bit from the cup of blessing into each of these so they can be passed around and each person can put a bit in their own cup. *One fulfils Kiddush only if a meal is eaten immediately after Kiddush in the same location.* If one does not eat bread, such as at a kiddush after shul one may eat a food containing the five grains. upon which the brocha of Mezonos is said. Arguments to stand/sit: a.     Standing – “Vayechulu” is testimony that Hashem created the world and rested on Shabbos.  Just as witnesses stand before Bais Din when testifying, similarly some stand for this testimony and remain standing while reciting the entire Kiddush. b.     Sitting – When helping others fulfil their obligation, everyone is joined together for that moment, this is done through sitting. Follow ones custom if you have one, or sit at least for the blessing. For both kiddush and havdalah important to listen to words as someone is saying it on our behalf. Challas should be covered during kiddush. Havdalla: *Just as it is a mitzvah to sanctify Shabbos on a cup of wine as it enters, it is a mitzvah to sanctify it on a cup of wine as it departs. This is done by reciting havdalah. We also recite blessings over spices and on a candle.* Women are also obligated to hear havdalah so they should listen to it carefully. In a place where wine is not available, one may make havdalah on beer or any other beverage that is considered a local drink like coffee or tea. Once night falls on Saturday, one may not eat or drink anything other than water before havdalah. *Work may not be done before havdalah. Therefore, if you need to turn on lights or perform

Accepted custom is the woman accepts shabbos at the time of lighting - when she says the bracha. Others may continue to do work until just before sundown.  When a man lights, his Shabbos has not yet commenced, it's either a few mins before sunset or when shul he's in does last part of lecha dodi. 3 reasons for candle lighting: honor, enjoyment, peace in the home. How? Usually one makes a blessing prior to doing the mitzvah. When a female lights Shabbos candles she can't make the blessing first, as then Shabbos would begin before she could light the candles! So, she first lights them and then makes the blessing. If a man is lighting he first makes the blessing as for a man Shabbos doesn't come in with candle lighting but with sunset/last bit of lecha dodi. What? Candles or olive oil. Olive oil is preferable. Electric lights - are acceptable when no other alternative but shouldn't make a blessing on them. e.g. hospital. When?  Custom - 18-20 minutes before sundown. No later than 2 minutes b4 sunset. As early as "plag hamincha" which is 1 and quarter halachik hours before sunset. How many? Shamor and Zachor - the 2 aspects of Shabbat.  Basic requirement - 1 candle. Some have custom of adding on for each child. If didn't light: If negligent, doesn't apply to emergencies, has to light an extra candle forever! What if I'm running late? the mitzvah is not to light. When does "early shabbos" begin?  If 1 shul in town then it is binding on the whole community but if more than one shul it does not apply. When it is for convenience it is independent for each member of the household, i.e. if the husband accepts it early it doesn't impose on the wife. Please see the beautiful blessing one can say at candle lighting time. Also not myzmanim.org has an app that you can see any Friday the earliest time for lighting called plag hamincha and the latest, which is just before sundown.

Usually it's OK to start a melacha - a forbiden work before Shabbos even if the process will be activated during Shabbos, e.g. lighting a candle before Shabbos even though it will burn on Shabbos or setting a trap before Shabbos that will catch an animal on Shabbos. The exception to this is where the work is noisy, eg leaving on a clothes dryer, TV etc. One also has to be mindful of benefiting from a fellow Jew's work even when it's not Shabbos for you, eg one shouldn't listen to a radio show from Israel when they are into Shabbos even though you are still some time until Shabbos. * Timers are OK, e.g. for lights, for a hot plate to go on on Shabbos morning etc. * It is fine to mail a letter first class on Friday even though you knew it will be delivered on Shabbos day. There are a number of reasons for this, one being that at best you are asking someone who is asking someone else, rather than a direct request to a gentile to do work for you. * One other exception is leaving on a pot of cholent before shabbos. It's fine to do this, but due to concerns of adjusting a flame we are supposed to cover the flame. We bring in Shabbos before sunset on Friday. There is a custom to bring it in 18 mins before sunset if possible. The earliest time one can bring in Shabbos is an hour and a quarter of halachic hours before sunset. If one lit candles before this one would need to light again, beware in summer months when this can be late. For timings of times where you live, check myzmanim.org