The first two days (one day in Israel) of Sukkot are classified as yom tov.
Women and girls light holiday candles in the sukkah each evening, taking care not to light on Shabbat. (If it is rainy or windy in the sukkah, and you cannot protect the candles from the elements, or if they pose a fire hazard in the sukkah, they may be lit indoors.)
Here’s how:
Night One
On the first night of Sukkot (Fri, Sept. 25), light a “pre-existing flame” which will be used to light candles again the following night. See: What Is a Pre-Existing Flame?
Then, 18 minutes before sundown, light candles and say two blessings:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל שַׁבָּת וְשֶׁל יוֹם טוֹב
Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm, ah-shehr ki-deh-shah-noo beh-mitz-voh-tahv veh-tzee-vah-noo leh-hahd-lik nayr shehl Shah-baht veh-shel yohm tov.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us to kindle the Shabbat and Yom Tov light.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לִזְּמַן הַזֶּה
Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm sheh-heh-kheh-yah-noo veh-kee-mah-noo ve-hig-ee-yah-noo liz-mahn hah-zeh.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.
Night Two
Since we may not prepare on one day of a holiday for the following day, candle-lighting and all meal prep for the second night must take place after the first day is completely over. So on the second night of Sukkot (Sat, Sept. 26), after night has fallen, say:
בָּרוּךְ הַמַּבְדִּיל בֵּין קֹדֶשׁ לְקֹדֶשׁ
Bah-rookh hah-mahv-deel bayn koh-desh li-koh-desh
Blessed is the One who separates between (the) holiness (of Shabbat) and (the) holiness (of the holiday).
Then prepare and light your candles (from your pre-existing flame), and say:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל יוֹם טוֹב
Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm, ah-shehr ki-deh-shah-noo beh-mitz-voh-tahv veh-tzee-vah-noo leh-hahd-lik nayr shel yohm tov.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us to kindle the Yom Tov light.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לִזְּמַן הַזֶּה
Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm sheh-heh-kheh-yah-noo veh-kee-mah-noo ve-hig-ee-yah-noo liz-mahn hah-zeh.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.
For local candle-lighting times: Chabad.org/candles
Enter the Divine Embrace
The sukkah is a Divine embrace—the only mitzvah we do with our entire body. When you sit inside a sukkah on Sukkot, those walls and that ceiling—that’s G‑d hugging you. Those branches up there—for these eight days, those are holy branches, an intense love from the highest heaven shining down on you. You need only to sit there, doing whatever you need to do, and you are enveloped in a mitzvah.
Chag Sameach!
