Lighting the Chanukah Candles

The time for lighting candles

1. The view of the Shulchan Aruch is that one should light the Menorah at nightfall (tzeis hakochavim). However, the Mishna Berura records Rishonim who required one to light about 15 minutes before this and the Acharonim have a range of opinions on this matter, for example the Vilna Gaon says one should light at sunset (see Dirshu Mishna Berura SA672 notes 1 and 2). As such people should consult with their Rav where their family or community don’t have a clear practice.
   1. One who did not light the Menorah on time should ideally do so within the following half an hour; if one did not do so one may light the whole night and make a Bracha on doing so, so long as family members are awake; if they are asleep it would be appropriate to wake them up so one can light with a Bracha. (In Israel if one lights outdoors, there is a discussion whether waking family members helps once it is late enough that are no longer passers by outside, one should consult one’s Rav). (SA673:2, MB11)
   1. Where one is unable to light at the usual time, one should consult a Halachic authority as to whether it is appropriate to light before or after this time.
2. Those who daven Maariv at nightfall should light candles beforehand. However, if nightfall has come and they have not yet lit candles, they should daven first and light immediately afterwards. Some have the practice to always light after Maariv if they daven immediately at nightfall, but one should light as soon as possible thereafter so one should ensure that the Menorah is already prepared so one can light immediately on arriving home. (MB 672 SK1).
3. On Erev Shabbos, one lights the Chanukah candles before the Shabbos candles but only after ‘Plag Hamincha’ which is an hour and a quarter (in ‘shaos zmaniyos’, proportional hours, calculated by dividing the daytime hours into twelve) before night (there are differing opinions if this is defined as nightfall or sunset, consult a halachic authority where practical guidance is required). It is preferable to daven mincha before this. (SA 679, MB2)
4. On Motzei Shabbos, the practice is to light the Menorah in shul before doing Havdala. However, for individuals lighting at home, some have the practice to make Havdala first and then to light the Chanuka candles, due to the principle of fulfilling the Mitzva which is more frequent first, whilst others have the practice to light the Chanuka candles first due to their importance in publicising the miracle and to demonstrate a desire to not rush exiting Shabbos (in order to demonstrate kavod Shabbos), by delaying doing havdala. Both practices are valid. (SA 681:2, MB 3)

Brachos

1. On the first night, prior to lighting the candles one makes 3 brachos – ‘lehadlik ner shel chanuka’, ‘she’asa Nissim’ and ‘shehechiyanu’. On subsequent nights, one recites the first two of these brachos.
   1. If one started lighting before saying the brachos, one may still say all of them so long as one has not yet finished lighting all the candles. If one only realises after one has lit all the candles, one may still say she’asa nissim as well as shehechiyanu on the first night (however if one just forgot shehechiyanu, one should wait until the next night to say it per below).
   1. If one forgot to say shehechiyanu on the first night, one may do so on a subsequent night when lighting the candles (SA 676:1, MB 1, 2, 4).

Manner of Lighting

1. On the first night, one lights the rightmost candle of Menorah. Each night thereafter, one adds an extra light to the left of the one added the previous night. One should light this newest light first and then proceed rightwards, to light those to the right of it. In making the bracha immediately before lighting the newest candle each night, it marks the extension to the miracle that took place each day. Mishna Berura adds one should stand in a manner that the first candle one encounters is the one one is going to light first, to avoid ‘passing over mitzvos’; therefore one stands to the left of the candles so the first candle one encounters is the newest leftmost candle to be lit that night.
   1. Mishna Berura records an alternative and similarly valid practice for setting up the candles (presumably one would then adjust where one stands accordingly to ensure the first candle one encounters is the one one will light first):
      1. if the menorah is placed by the right of the entranceway (if the entranceway has no mezuza as above), on the first night one lights the rightmost candle (which is next to the wall) and one adds candles to the left of this on subsequent nights but one always starts by lighting the rightmost candle and then proceeds leftwards.
      1. If the menorah is placed by the left of the entranceway, on the first night one lights the leftmost candle and one adds candles to the right on subsequent nights but always starts by lighting the leftmost candle and proceeds rightwards.
      1. If one is lighting in the window or in shul, on the first night one lights the left-most candle and on subsequent nights one adds the candles to the right, but one always starts by lighting the leftmost candle and proceeds rightwards (SA 676:5, MB9, 11).
   1. Optimally Mishna Berura recommends that where possible, the menorah should be placed within the width of the entranceway, parallel to the doorframe, such that all the candles are within a tefach of the entranceway. (Thus one can achieve the benefits of both methods above – one can start with the rightmost candle on the first night, and add to its left whilst lighting the new candles on future nights, all whilst always lighting the candle closest to the entranceway as they are, in effect, all the closest to the entrance).
2. After lighting the candles, one says ‘haneros halalu’ (as printed in the siddurim). Mishna Berura quotes two acceptable practices about when to start singing – some start saying ‘haneros halalu’ after lighting the first candle (with which one fulfils the primary mitzva), others wait until they have lit all the candles. (SA 676:4, MB 8)