About Lighting Times

In most locales, Shabbat candle-lighting time is eighteen minutes before sunset.

Shabbat begins at sunset and it is forbidden to light candles on Shabbat. In order to provide a margin for error, the accepted custom is to light the candles and usher in Shabbat eighteen minutes earlier.

If one missed candle-lighting time, it is still permissible to light the Shabbat candles until sunset. After sunset it is forbidden.

It is permitted to light candles and usher in the Shabbat earlier, if one so wishes. This is common practice in places where nightfall in the summer months is quite late. The earliest one may do so is plag hamincha, 1¼ halachic hours before sunset. Click here for the time of plag haminchah in your location.

Click here for holiday candle lighting time information.

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January 15, 2010

end of Shabbat.

There are two times for ending the Shabbat, night time and Rabinu Tam, which is 72 minutes after the first time. In NonJewish circles it is refered to as dark and pitchdark. Where you to ask an astromoner the time of pitchdark, he would provide you with a time that more or less corresponds to Rabainu Tam, with a difference of a minutes either way.

Leslie J0seph
jerusalem, israel
chabadominican.com

December 20, 2009

End of Shabbat

My custom is to end Shabbat on Saturday night 72 minutes after the time at which it began on Sunday.
Now, I ask the following question only because I was in Yerushalyim last Shabbat and was confused by the altered times:
Should I begin counting the additional 72 minutes from candle lIghting time or from shkiah?

Anonymous
Chicago

December 11, 2009

End of Shabbat

Anonymous in Loma Linda:
Give G-d His whole due: Shabbat is 25 hours, and not 24---it does not end at sunset. See Chani's explanation.

Yehudit

November 11, 2009

End of Sabbath

Sabbath ends at sunset on Saturday evening just as it begins at sunset on Friday. Don't try to short change God. He wants one whole day - a full 24 hour period - 1 day in 7, and nothing less.

Anonymous
Loma Linda, CA/USA

August 10, 2009

Number of Candles

An unmarried woman lights one candle, a married woman lights two, and according to her tradition, either one new candle per child born or one for all of her children.

Chani Benjaminson, chabad.org

August 9, 2009

End of Shabbat

According to the majority of Rabbinic opinions, Shabbat ends at nightfall on Saturday evening. Nightfall is the point at which it grows dark enough for three medium-sized stars to become visible.
For more information on the Halachic times, please see: About Zmanim.
To find exact times in your location, please see our Shabbat and Holiday calculator.

Chani Benjaminson, chabad.org

August 8, 2009

what is the maximum number of candles one can light? would one be OK?

Anonymous
2030, AUSTRALIA

August 7, 2009

When does Shabbat end?

I understand how the beginning of shabbos is determined, but not how the end time is determined. I understand that it is roughly 25 hours after it begins, but not the exact time. If someone could explain this I'd greatly appreciate it, thanks!

Robin
Springfield, NJ

August 3, 2009

Evening services

No need to apologize, Robert! If you don't ask you don't learn...Different communities have different customs. Some start praying pretty much at the same time as candle lighting (or a few minutes afterwards), while others start about 45 minutes to an hour after. Your best bet is to contact the community you're visiting directly. To find a Chabad center near you, click here.

Chani Benjaminson, chabad.org

July 31, 2009

Sorry if this sounds ignorant, but if I belong to a Orthodox synagogue, how would I know, based on the candle lighting times, when the evening services start?

Robert
Cherry Hill, NJ/USA

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