Lighting Candles for Yom Tov

From Halachipedia

Many of the laws of lighting candles on Yom Tov are the same as for Shabbat. So this page is primarily for the halachot specific to candle lighting on Yom Tov. For the halachot that apply to lighting candles on Shabbat, see the Shabbat Candles page.

Time

  1. It is preferable to light candles before Yom Tov rather than on Yom Tov.[1]

Brachot

  1. One should make a Bracha of LeHadlik Ner Shel Yom Tov with Shem Umalchut for the lighting of the candles of Yom Tov.[2]
  2. Many poskim advise that the women not say Shehechiyanu at the time of lighting candles, but rather to wait to hear it during the Kiddush.[3]
  3. The accepted minhag is that a women say the brachot of hadlakat nerot prior to lighting candles of Yom Tov.[4]

Sources

  1. Mateh Efraim 625:33. Rabbi Yaakov Hoffman notes that nowadays that we have electric lights it is more important to light before Yom Tov with the lights off and then turn them on as opposed to lighting after Yom Tov begins and it is forbidden to turn off and on lights.
  2. Shulchan Aruch 514:11, Sh"t Yechave Daat 1:27, Halacha Yomit
  3. Rav Hershel Schachter in a published pamphlet about Hilchot Shavuot (p. 4)
  4. Rav Hershel Schachter in a published pamphlet about Hilchot Shavuot (p. 4)