Shabbat Times Sign — Candle-Lighting & Motzei Shabbat

Looking for a shabbat times sign for your shul’s notice board? Here is a ready-made, dignified template: the weekly parsha, candle-lighting, Mincha and Kabbalat Shabbat, the end of Shabbat and Maariv on Motzei Shabbat — copy it in one click, print it, or download it as a Word file. All that’s left is to fill in the times for your city.

בס״ד   Shabbat Times — Parshat [Parsha] [Synagogue name], [City] — Shabbat, [Hebrew calendar day] ([Date])   Start of Shabbat: Candle-lighting — [Time] Mincha & Kabbalat Shabbat — [Time] Sunset (shkia) — [Time]   End of Shabbat: Motzei Shabbat — [Time] Motzei Shabbat (Rabbeinu Tam) — [Time] Maariv — [Time]   Notes: – Times vary from city to city and from week to week — please update weekly from a reliable luach for [City]. – [Note]   Shabbat Shalom u'mevorach, The Gabbaim — [Synagogue name]

Fill in the details — the notice updates automatically:

Illustration of a framed Shabbat times sheet on a synagogue wall, beside lit Shabbat candles and a kiddush cup

How to fill in the Shabbat times sheet — and why the times differ in every city

A Shabbat times sheet at the entrance answers the questions every gabbai hears on a Friday: when is candle-lighting, when is Mincha, and when does Shabbat end. Experience says it pays to list both the sunset (shkia) time and Motzei Shabbat according to Rabbeinu Tam — that way each mitpallel finds the time he follows, and the gabbai doesn’t become a telephone hotline. The parsha name goes at the top of the page — it is also the sign that the sheet is current for this week.

Why can’t you copy times from another city? Sunset varies from place to place, and each Israeli city has its own custom for how many minutes before shkia candles are lit — in most cities around 20 minutes, in Jerusalem 40 and in Haifa 30. The end of Shabbat is likewise calculated by several opinions, and different communities follow different customs. That is why the times in this template are deliberately left blank — fill them in each week for your own city, and for any question about your community’s custom, ask your rav.

Where do the times come from? The official source is the Shabbat times calculator on gov.il, and English-speakers often use the candle-lighting tables on Hebcal, which let you pick any Israeli city. Choose one regular source and one regular routine — for example, every Thursday: fill in, print, hang on the board, and send a photo to the congregation’s WhatsApp group. That way nobody arrives after Kabbalat Shabbat has already ended.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are candle-lighting times different in every city?

Sunset depends on geography, and on top of that each city has its own custom for how many minutes before sunset candles are lit: most Israeli cities follow roughly 20 minutes, Jerusalem 40 and Haifa 30. A times sheet from one city therefore doesn’t fit another — always update from a luach for your own town.

What is the difference between candle-lighting time and sunset?

The candle-lighting time printed in the luach is earlier than sunset by a fixed number of minutes set by local custom — an addition that brings Shabbat in a little before its time. On the notice-board sheet it is customary to show both times, so every mitpallel knows both the local candle-lighting time and the actual shkia.

What is “Motzei Shabbat — Rabbeinu Tam” on the times sheet?

It is a later time for the end of Shabbat, following the opinion of Rabbeinu Tam, which some communities and individuals wait for. Many luchot print it as a separate line next to the regular Motzei Shabbat time, so we included it in the template too — every community follows its own custom, and questions go to the rav of the kehilla.

Where do you get accurate Shabbat times for the sheet?

The official government source is the Shabbat times calculator on gov.il; English-speaking communities also rely on Hebcal and the Chabad.org candle-lighting tables. The main thing is to pick one fixed source and update from it every week, so the sheet on the board never contradicts what the kehilla sees on their phones.

How often does the Shabbat times sheet need replacing?

Every week: the parsha changes, and candle-lighting and Motzei Shabbat shift by a few minutes from week to week. A good gabbai habit is a fixed slot — Thursday evening, say — to fill in the template, print, hang it up, and send a photo to the congregation’s WhatsApp group.

Key Takeaways

  • The Shabbat times sheet changes every week — both the parsha and the times move
  • Show candle-lighting, Kabbalat Shabbat, shkia, Motzei Shabbat and Rabbeinu Tam
  • Times differ from city to city — fill in from a reliable luach for your own town
  • Official source: the gov.il Shabbat times calculator; Hebcal works well in English
  • The template is free — copy it, print it, or download it as Word

Related Templates

All synagogue templates →

Printing a new sheet every Erev Shabbat? With digital signage for your synagogue, the Shabbat times and the parsha update automatically from the Hebrew calendar — the screen at the entrance always shows the right times, with no printer and no push-pins.