There is a requirement for women to light candles before Yom Tob just as they do before Shabbat. The Beracha recited over the Yom Tob candle lighting is "Le’hadlik Ner Shel Yom Tob."
If a woman mistakenly recited the Beracha over the Shabbat candle lighting – "Le’hadlik Ner Shel Shabbat" – instead of the Beracha over the Yom Tob lighting, must she repeat the Beracha?
At first glance, one could argue that since the Torah on several occasions uses the word "Shabbat" in reference to Yom Tob, reciting "Le’hadlik Ner Shel Shabbat" over the Yom Tob candle lighting is not, technically, inaccurate. However, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv (1910-2012) noted that the language used in the text of the Berachot differs from the language of the Humash, and in the language used in Berachot the word "Shabbat" refers specifically to Shabbat, and not to Yom Tob. And therefore, if a woman mistakenly recited "Le’hadlik Ner Shel Shabbat" instead of "Le’hadlik Ner Shel Yom Tob," and she did not correct her mistake within a couple of seconds ("Toch Kedeh Dibur"), she must repeat the Beracha. The Beracha may be repeated even after the lighting, as long as the candles are still burning and she derives benefit from them.
When should the woman recite the Beracha over the candle lighting – before she lights the candles, or after?
Regarding the Shabbat candle lighting, there is a difference of opinion as to when the Beracha should be recited. The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), among others, held that the Beracha should be recited after the candles are lit. According to this view, the recitation of the Beracha "Le’hadlik Ner Shel Shabbat" constitutes an acceptance of the onset of Shabbat, such that it would be forbidden to light a candle after reciting this Beracha. Therefore, even though the Beracha over a Misva is generally recited before the Misva is performed ("Ober La’asiyatah"), the Beracha over the Shabbat candle lighting must be recited only after the lighting. This is also the view of the Rama (Rabbi Moshe Isserles of Cracow, 1525-1572), in Siman 263), and it appears that this was the practice followed by the majority of Sepharadim, including the communities of Damascus and Aram Soba. Maran, however, held that the Beracha should be recited before the candles are lit, and Hacham Ovadia Yosef has advocated following this view, which has resulted in many Sepharadim adopting this practice. But Hacham Baruch Ben-Haim would tell us to follow the rule of "Al Titosh Torat Imecha" – "Do not abandon your mother’s teaching" – and have our wives follow their mother’s custom in this regard. And thus if a woman’s mother would recite the Beracha after lighting the Shabbat candles, this is the custom she should follow.
However, this applies only to the Shabbat candle lighting. When it comes to the Yom Tob candle lighting, all authorities – including the Ben Ish Hai, Kaf Ha’haim, and others – agree that the Beracha should be recited before the lighting. On Yom Tob it is permissible to light a candle, and there is thus no reason to delay the recitation of the Beracha until after the lighting. We therefore apply the standard rule of "Ober La’asiyatah," that the Beracha is recited before performing the Misva, and women should thus recite the Beracha before lighting the candles, even if one lights the Shabbat candles BEFORE reciting the Beracha.
Summary: If a woman mistakenly recited "Le’hadlik Ner Shel Shabbat" over the Yom Tob candle lighting, instead of "Le’hadlik Ner Shel Yom Tob," she must repeat the Beracha. The Beracha over the Yom Tob candle lighting is recited before lighting the candles, even if one follows the view to light the Shabbat candles before reciting the Beracha.
