When does Shabbat begin?

Shabbat begins at sundown every Friday. The candle-lighting time (which is when we mark the start of Shabbat in our home) is traditionally 18 minutes before sundown in most diaspora communities, or 40 minutes before sundown in Jerusalem. The exact clock time changes every week as sundown moves with the seasons. Look up your city in the table above for this week's exact time.

Shabbat ends at nightfall on Saturday — about 50 minutes after sundown in most communities (when three medium-sized stars are visible in the sky). The end-of-Shabbat ceremony is called havdalah, which uses a special braided candle, wine, and spices.

Sundown happens at different times in different places — and different days of the year. New York's Friday sundown in December is around 4:30 PM; in June it's around 8:30 PM. Cities further west or further north see sundown later or earlier. Hebcal calculates the exact sundown for each city's latitude and longitude, then subtracts 18 minutes.

Jerusalem follows a long-standing local custom of lighting 40 minutes before sundown rather than the standard 18. The extra time is a community practice ('chumra') based on the city's status. Other Israeli cities like Tzfat use 40 minutes too; some communities like Petach Tikva use 22; most diaspora communities use 18.

Use Hebcal's lookup tool with your zip code or city name. The 20 cities here cover the largest North American Jewish communities plus Jerusalem; for any other location, Hebcal's calculator is the authoritative source. We add cities based on reader requests — email us yours.

Ideally yes — the time is calibrated to be just before sundown so the candles are lit before Shabbat begins. If you light after the official time but before sundown, most poskim consider it acceptable (you've technically lit on Shabbat eve). If you miss sundown entirely, the halacha gets more nuanced — ask your rabbi. Many families set a phone reminder 30 minutes before candle-lighting so they don't get caught.

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Shabbat. ("Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the light of Shabbat.") See the full Hebrew + transliteration at the top of this page.

Yes — yom tov candle-lighting is its own mitzvah with a slightly different bracha ("l'hadlik ner shel Yom Tov" instead of "shel Shabbat"). For yom tov that falls on Friday, you light both Shabbat and yom tov candles. Times for major yom tov are in our five-year Jewish holiday calendar.