" Chanukah Common Questions Prepared by Rabbi Shaanan Gelman, Kehilat Chovevei Tzion 1.

. Candles vs Olive Oil, which is preferable? Mishna in Shabbos, lists all kinds of oils and wicks which are not kosher, yet by Chanukah they do not present a problemi. The reason is that on Shabbat, the purpose of the candles is to provide illumination, thus the fear is that if these inferior wicks and oils are used one might come to fix and move the candles in order to provide for better illumination. On Chanukah the primary purpose is not for illumination but for Pirsumei Nisa (publicizing the miracle) and so one fulfills their obligation even with inferior wicks and oil. That being said, the poskim place clear emphasis upon olive oilii for a number of reasons: (a) It is drawn properly into the wick and its light is pure and cleariii (b) The miracle in the Temple, in the time of the Chashmonaim took place with olive oiliv

Wax or Paraffin candles also produce a clean and pure flame, but are not as preferred because of the historical basis of olive oil. Mixing oil and wax candles is a questionable practicev, but different members of a family may use different kinds of lights. In addition, it is perfectly acceptable to switch from oil to wax candles from one night of Chanukah to another. 2. Placement of the Chanukiyah During the time of the Sages, the custom was to place the lights at the entrance of the house on the outside facing the streetvi, in order to accomplish Pirsumei Nisa. The Mechaber further notes that one who lives in an apartment with no entrance opening towards the street should light in a window overlooking the street. One must be careful not to place the menorah above 20 amot from the ground (35.5 feet). If one lives in an apartment in which the window is above 20 amot, it is preferable to light at the entranceway of his apartment.vii

When there is a concern for danger due to anti-Semitism, theft or extinguishing of the candles it is permissible to light
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inside the house. In such a case one still fulfills Pirsumei Nisa with their own family membersviii.

The Menorah should be placed higher than 3 tefachim (10 5/8th in.) off of the ground.

One should be careful not to line up the candles too close to one another such that they are not easily distinguished as separate entities.

The candles should be set up from right to left (when the person lighting is facing the menorah) but is lit from left to right, thereby lighting the newest candle first.

3. When is the Best Time to Light? The Gemara tells us "" , the proper time for the mitzvah is from sunset. A number of different opinions exist in the poskim as to when precisely this is. According to Rav Moshe Feinsteinix, the time to light would be about 13-18 minutes after sunset. The candles should burn for a half hour after , or nightfall (when 3 medium size stars appear in the sky).
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Duration of the Burning of the Candles Even if lighting later than the optimal time, the candles must be lit for half an hour, and must be visible during the time period of x , until the time that people cease to walk about in the street. The rationale is that the mitzvah of hadlakot neirot is for Pirsumei Nisa, publicizing the miracle, which can only be done if people are still awake and viewing the candles.

4. How Late May One Light? If you are going to arrive home late at night, but there will be family members up in the house, you may still light at that point. Ideally, the children and family members should wait to light together. If, however they must go to sleep beforehand, they should light on their own earlier. If, by the time you arrive home, everyone will be asleep, the wife should light for the husband and have him in mind. Additionally, this may be done by anyone in the household who is above the age of bar/bat mitzvah. Another alternative would be to light as early as plag hamincha, (which will take place at 3:23 pm this year), you may then leave the home and will have fulfilled the mitzvah.
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Please note, that when lighting at plag, the candles must be able to last until 30 minutes after tzeit hakochavim, as is the case on Friday nights.

5. What if you are traveling for Chanukah and will not be coming home that evening? If staying in a hotel, one should light there. The problem is that many hotels will not permit lighting in the room. The next best option is to light in the dining area or in the lobby. The Maharil felt already in his days that one staying in an inn, away from his family, should light for himself and not rely upon them. The reason for this is twofold: 1) the focus of pirsumei nisa nowadays has been moved indoors. 2) It is now customary that all members of the household light. Therefore, by not lighting, it might appear as if he is not participating in the mitzvah altogether, since his wife is at home lighting anyway.

If one will be on an airplane or in transit for the entire duration of a day of Chanukah and there is no ability to light candles, the Mishna Berura tells us that one may have
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members of his family light on his behalf.xi While most poskim hold that electric/battery operated lights may not be used to fulfill the mitzvah, there are those poskim who permit lighting with an electric light bulb in such a circumstance, only without a bracha.xii [Since, it is only a doubt (safeik) as to whether one can truly fulfill their mitzvah with an electic light bulb and, and there is a principle safeik berachot lhakel, that in an instance in which it is doubtful as to whether one should recite a bracha, they should be lenient and not recite it.]

6. Should Women Light? Many women, including those that are married have the custom to light within the family settingxiii. There is, however, logic to distinguish between single and married women living in the household. For married women there are classical sources which stipulate why not to light individuallyxiv. For women who are unmarried, they light to fulfill the mitzvah on the highest level of mehadrin min hamehadrin according to the Ashkenzic tradition, which requires each individual to lightxv. 7. While the Candles are Lit
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There is a custom for Jewish women to refrain from work during the first 30 minutes, while the candles are litxvi. The Mishna Berura cites a number of opinions who apply this custom to men as well. This applies to melachot which are forbidden on Yom Tov, and it is therefore permissible to cookxvii. Some poskim say that the prohibition to work only applies to forms of work such as sewing, washing, weaving and ironingxviii.

8. Friday Night/Motzaei Shabbos One should light after plag hamincha, 3:23 pm, which is one and a quarter halachic hours before the stars appear. Care should be taken that there is enough oil to burn for the required amount of time (until half an hour after nightfall). It is important to note that many candles sold as Chanukah candles do not burn for the needed duration on erev Shabbat, and one could come to recite a bracha levatala, if none of the candles last the proper timexix. Shabbat Candles should be lit after the Chanukah candles. When it comes to Havdalah, in Synagogue, Chanukah candles are lit before havdalah is recited. At home, the

prevalent halachic approach is to first recite havdalah and afterwards to light the Chanukah candles.

9. Eating in One House and Sleeping in Another One must light in the place in which they are sleeping, not the place in which they are eating. On Shabbos evening, going out to eat may present the problem leaving unattended lights. This is indeed a large concern and although it is not a halachic answer, it is probably advisable to remain at home so that someone can remain with the candles at all times. On any other evening of Chanukah, once half an hour has passed, it is permissible to blow out the candles. This is obviously not possible on Shabbat.

A guest who is sleeping at someone elses home may light their own candles, or may choose to participate in the hosts lighting by contributing some monsey towards the wicks and oilxx.

10.

Lighting in School (Chinuch vs zman)

Many schools will have a public candle lighting for educational purposes before the proper zman of hadlakat neirot. It is questionable as to whether one fulfills the obligation at such a time, and as a result should not be done with a brachaxxi. 11. Artistic Chanukiyot The Gemaraxxii tells us that if one puts several wicks into one vessel containing oil (around the circumference of a bowl) he does not fulfill his obligation as it appears as a medura (bonfire) rather than a flame. The question is, how exactly do we avoid this problem? Some suggest it is sufficient that the wicks be separated by a fingers breadth between the wicksxxiii. The Ramaxxiv holds that even if the wicks are placed in different cups, they may not be placed in circular configuration since it could still look like a medura. The Magen Avrahamxxv extends the stringency to a zigzag pattern as well. Thus we have the common practice of candles to be assembled in a straight line. The Chayei Adamxxvi qualifies this and mentions that the candles bases must also be on the same level. It is not so clear that the concern of the Chayei Adam was because of a medura, it is possible that his concern was because at different heights, it
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is hard to see that they belong to the same lightingxxvii. Though not quoted in the Mishna Berura, there are several Achronim who quote this stringency. As a result, the best option is a straight chanukiya in which the bases are all on one level.

See Shulchan Aruch (673:1) Rama (ibid) iii Aruch Hashulchan (ibid,1) iv Mishna Berura (ibid, sk 4) v See Rav Shimon Eider Halachos of Chanukah (pg. 11-12) vi Shulchan Aruch (671:5) vii Shaar Hatzion (ibid, sk 42) viii Rama (ibid) ix Cited by Rav Eider, pg. 20 x Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 21b xi 677:2 xii Yabea Omer, OC, 3:35 xiii Nefesh Harav p. 226, in the name of Rav Soloveitchik xiv Terumat HaDeshen 101. xv See article in Living the Halachic Process pg. 149-151 xvi Mishna Berura 670:3,4 xvii Shut Kinyan Torah 7:52 xviii Piskei Teshuvot 570, footnote 15 xix Chayei Adam, 154:35 xx Shulchan Aruch, 577:1 xxi This is a complicated matter, dealt in depth in Living the Halachic Process (vol. II, pg. 152-154).
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Shabbat 23b See Tur, OC 671 xxiv OC, 671:4 xxv OC, 671:3 xxvi 154:10 xxvii See, Living the Halachic Process, Vol I, (page 184-186).
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