The Laws of Candle Lighting When Yom Tov Occurs on Shabbat and Sunday

When Yom Tov falls on Friday night, women light candles eighteen minutes before sundown as on an ordinary Friday evening, and they recite the Beracha, "Asher Kideshanu Be'mitzvotav Ve'tzivanu Le'hadlik Ner Shel Shabbat Ve'Yom Tov."

On the next night, Saturday night, which begins the second night of Yom Tov, women may not light the Yom Tov candles until after the conclusion of Shabbat. They must therefore wait at least forty-two minutes after sundown before lighting the candles; preferably, they should wait for the husbands to return from the Arvit service in the synagogue. Women must also remember to declare before lighting, "Baruch Ha'mavdil Ben Kodesh Le'Kodesh" in order to formally end Shabbat. If a woman recited Arvit that night and inserted the paragraph of "Va'to'di'enu," this suffices as a declaration of the end of Shabbat, and she need not say "Baruch Ha'mavdil" before lighting the Yom Tov candles.

We follow the practice that women do not recite the Beracha of She'hecheyanu when they light the Yom Tov candles; they recite only the Beracha of "Le'hadlik Ner Shel Yom Tov," or, on Friday night, "Le'hadlik Ner Shel Shabbat Ve'Yom Tov."

Is it permissible on the second night of Yom Tov to remove the wicks and oil left over from the previous night's lighting?

Rabbi Akiva Eiger (Austria-Poland, 1761-1837) held that the leftover wicks and oil are deemed Muktzeh, and thus one may remove them only if he needs the light to facilitate the eating of his Yom Tov meal. According to this view, nowadays, when our homes are amply lit and the Yom Tov candles provide only additional light, it would be forbidden to remove the wicks and oil left over from the previous night.

However, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv (contemporary sage in Jerusalem) argued that the leftover oil and wicks are considered part of the candlestick and therefore do not attain the status of Muktzeh. Thus, it is permissible to remove the leftover oil and wicks before lighting candles on the second night of Yom Tov.

Summary: When Yom Tov occurs on Friday night, women light candles as usual and recite the Beracha, "Le'hadlik Ner Shel Shabbat Ve'Yom Tov." On the second night of Yom Tov (Saturday night), they must wait at least forty-two minutes after sundown and declare, "Baruch Ha'mavdil Bein Kodesh Le'Kodesh" before lighting. It is permissible to remove the leftover oil and wicks from the candelabra on Yom Tov. Women do not recite She'hecheyanu when they light Yom Tov candles.