It’s a common question, especially if you’re going out for the meal or using small tea lights: How long do my Shabbat candles actually need to burn?

The Torah tells us to “honor the Shabbat and call it a delight.”1 One way we do this is by lighting Shabbat candles. On a simple level, the candles make sure we’re not left stumbling in the dark, helping keep peace and ease in the home.2 They also create that warm, uplifting Shabbat atmosphere we all associate with Friday night.3

Since we’re not allowed to kindle fire on Shabbat itself, we light these “delight-giving” candles shortly before Shabbat begins.

How Long Should They Burn?

Because the main purpose of Shabbat candles is to bring peace and ease into the home, the ideal is for them to burn at least until after nightfall, when their light is truly useful.4 Even better is if they last as long as people are up and about in the house.5

If that’s not practical, you should at least try to ensure the candles are burning during the Friday-night meal.6 That way, you actually experience the beauty and warmth of the candlelight while you’re eating, and your meal is enhanced by the ambience of the candle glow.7

This is important because we are meant to benefit from the light of the candles. Jewish law views this benefit as essential to properly fulfilling the mitzvah. If a person makes the blessing but never gains anything from the candlelight, the blessing may be considered to have been said in vain, and the mitzvah left unfulfilled.8

What if I’m Sleeping in One Place and Eating in Another?

If you’re sleeping at home, but invited out for the Friday-night meal, where should you light?

As mentioned above, the Sages instituted the mitzvah of Shabbat candles to bring light and harmony into the home so that no one is left in the dark, and tension and accidents are avoided. Before the days of electric lights, this was very literal. Today, our homes are already well lit, but we still fulfill the mitzvah by adding a special Shabbat light that enhances the atmosphere of the meal.9

Based on this, many halachic authorities say that in our era of electric lighting, when you’re invited out for Friday night, it’s usually preferable to light at your host’s home. That means arriving early enough to light your candles on or near the table where the meal will be eaten. This way, the candles are burning as long as they need to, and you’re fulfilling the deeper purpose of dining by the warm glow of the Shabbat lights.10

However, this is not always practical. In addition, some maintain that even in this scenario, it can be better to light in the home where you’re sleeping.11

Whichever approach is followed in your situation, one key point remains the same: in order to truly fulfill the mitzvah of lighting Shabbat candles and avoid a blessing in vain, you need to receive at least some real benefit from their light.12

Practical Solutions if You Light at Home but Eat Out

If, for whatever reason, you’re lighting at home but going out for the Friday-night meal, here are some practical halachic options to consider:13

  • Perhaps the simplest solution is to turn on the electric lights immediately before lighting the Shabbat candles, and then have them in mind when reciting the blessing—treating those lights as part of the mitzvah, since they were turned on in honor of Shabbat.

However, this option does not work on the second night of Yom Tov or when Yom Tov leads directly into Shabbos, because in those cases the electric lights were not switched on immediately before candle-lighting.

In such situations, one should either light in the place they are eating the meal or use one of the other options listed here.

  • Use a Shabbat timer: Set a timer so that when you light your candles, the room lights are off or dimmed. Spend a bit of time at home after lighting so you can actually benefit from the candlelight before leaving.
  • Use long-lasting candles: Choose candles that will still be burning when you return home later in the evening. Set the timer so that the electric lights go off at a certain point, allowing you to enjoy the natural glow of the candles when you walk back in.

When you come home, eat a small snack or drink something near the candles so that you consciously benefit from their added light.

These small steps help ensure that your Shabbat candle lighting is experienced the way it was meant to be, bringing real light, peace, and Shabbat warmth into your life.