Be Dan L’Kaf Zechus:
People sometimes run late — it happens.
Not everyone has an atomic clock — perhaps by their clock, they thought they were on time.
Perhaps “life” interfered — you’re ready to go to shul when your eight year old can’t find his shoes. The ten minute search makes everyone late.
Perhaps they *didn’t* know that lighting was exactly at 5:02. Perhaps they actually thought it was 5:04 — not every calendar has the exact same minute for candle lighting.
And there are probably dozens of other reasons. Yes, the ideal is to come on time; but sometimes life interferes with the best laid plans of mice and men.
The Wolf