Hadlakat nerot, lighting Shabbat candles, is easier to approach calmly when you have found the time and texts in advance. This route helps you prepare your reading and distinguish several publications. The precise order of the blessing and actions follows your established family custom.
First check the place and date
Open the Chabad candle-lighting calendar, select your city and the Friday you need. A time for Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or another country does not automatically apply to your location. When travelling, check the new destination; clarify any question about your community’s custom beforehand.
Prepare the space and the reading
Before Shabbat begins, prepare the candlesticks and a stable place for the candles, away from curtains and objects children can reach. Read the texts beforehand so you are not searching for a translation, a paragraph or a phone charger at the last moment.
Three texts to distinguish
- The prayer before lighting Shabbat candles is an additional prayer. It helps make the transition from preparations to attentive reading; it is not the candle-lighting blessing itself.
- The Shabbat candle blessing has its own publication. Find the text before lighting, and clarify beforehand when to recite it according to your minhag.
- The prayer after lighting candles is a text for personal prayer afterwards. The publication includes Hebrew, transliteration and a Russian translation: locate the section you need in advance.
Continue learning about the tradition
For more detailed reading, open the laws of Shabbat and holiday candles and the Chabad description of the procedure. Chabad presents a particular established practice; avoid assembling parts of different customs at random. If your family minhag is not yet clear, prepare that question for a rabbi.
Common questions
Must I read a long prayer before the candles every time?
Our publication identifies it as an additional, optional prayer. Distinguish it from the blessing and do not schedule reading in a way that misses the candle-lighting time.
Is there one timetable for all of Israel?
Choose a specific city and date when preparing. A saved time from last week or another city does not replace a fresh calendar check.
Further explanations and prayers are gathered in our candle-lighting section. Starting with one page is easier than trying to read everything at once.