Shabbat learning
Shabbat Candle Lighting Basics
Learn why candle-lighting times depend on date, location and custom.
Shabbat candles welcome the day and bring light into the home. The published candle-lighting time is before sunset, and the exact interval depends on community practice. Times for one city should not be reused in another city or on a different date.
Confirm your location, date and local custom with a reliable calendar. Questions about who lights, blessings, travel or a missed time need specific guidance. Never interpret a countdown or an app notification as permission to light after Shabbat has already begun.
A place to begin
- Verify that the calendar is set to your actual location.
- Prepare candles safely before the listed time.
- Ask a rabbi about unusual timing or household circumstances.
Editorial introduction based on the linked Chabad.org resource; not a personal halachic ruling or a rabbi-reviewed article. Ask a qualified rabbi about practical observance. Prepare printed learning before Shabbat; device use is not permitted simply because a reading is saved.