Setting up the Menorah on Chanukah

How many candles one lights

1. The Mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles requires particular care as its purpose is to publicise the miracles Hashem did for us. (SA 671:1, MB2).
2. How many candles: On the first night one lights one candle and one adds one candle each day such that on the last night one lights eight candles.
   1. Ashkenazi practice is that each of the members of the family should light their own Menorah.
   1. A wife need not light as she is covered by her husband’s lighting, however she may light with a bracha if she wishes.
   1. Once a child has reached the age of Chinuch they should light their own Menorah.
   1. Each Menorah should be placed in a separate space so it is clear how many candles are being lit that night. (SA 671:2, MB9, SA 675:3, MB9)
3. Shamash: A further candle should be lit to ‘make use of’ (colloquially called the ‘shamash’) given the prohibition to benefit from the Chanukah candles; as such it should be higher than the other candles. If there is another light source in the room such as a fire (or in our times, lights), strictly speaking this is not required, though the custom is to light one nonetheless (SA671:5, BH”L Vetzarich 673:1, MB 14, 20).

Setting Up the Menorah

1. Quantity of fuel: One should ensure there is sufficient fuel to burn for half an hour after lighting the candles, as classically the streets were busy until about half an hour into the night. (SA 672:2, MB5).
   1. Strictly speaking, one may extinguish the candles once they have been lit for half an hour. If one wishes to use the remaining oil for other purposes, one should preferably make a condition before lighting that any leftover oil is not considered designated for the mitzva (SA 672:2, MB7).
2. Type of fuel and wicks: It is preferable to light using olive oil as the miracle related to olive oil in the Beis Hamikdash. Wax candles are also commonly used, though olive oil remains preferable.
   1. Generally speaking other fuels are also acceptable if these aren’t available, though consult a halachic authority (particularly if using them on Friday night).
   1. Similarly all types of wick are acceptable, though wicks that burn easily such as cotton or flax are preferable (SA 673:1, MB2, 4).
3. Re-using wicks: One may re-use the wicks from one night to the next; indeed this has an advantage in making them easier to light. (SA 673:4, MB 31)
4. See ‘Manner of lighting’ in regards to which candles to set up each night.

Keeping the Candles Distinct

13. Each candle should be kept distinct and must not be lit as a ‘bonfire’ of multiple wicks, such that one may not simply put several wicks in a plate of oil without a physical barrier between them, nor may one  stick wax candles together (SA 671:4).

Placement of the Candles

By the Entrance

1. By the entrance: The Menorah should be placed outside the entrance of the house looking out to the street; however, if there is a courtyard in front of the house which opens to the street it should be placed outside the entrance of the courtyard (SA 671:5).
2. Times of danger: In times of danger one may light the Menorah indoors on one’s table (SA 671:5). From this the practice developed that outside Israel, people typically light indoors but by the window; in Israel there are varying practices though many now light outside once again.
3. Upper floors: Those who live on upper floors of a building and do not have a direct entrance to the street or courtyard should place the Menorah by the window facing the street. (SA 671:5)
   1. There is significant discussion amongst contemporary authorities whether those living in apartment blocks are considered to have a ‘direct entrance’ to the street such that they should place their Menorahs at the entrance of the building from the street (or the entrance of the courtyard if it has a courtyard in front), or whether they should light by their window. Consult a Rav where necessary (Dirshu 671:45, 47).
4. Two Entrances: In the times of the Gemara when they lit by the door, if a house or courtyard opened onto the street in two different directions, a further menorah would be lit by the second entrance without a bracha. Additionally, one who owned two properties (or a house divided into two) would light at the entrance of both properties, even if they face the same direction. This was to avoid passersby suspecting that the owner did not light a Menorah at all.
   1. Many poskim say this does not apply nowadays given varying practices as to where and when people light the Menorah, particularly as some people still light in private indoors (which means that the lack of Menorah at a particular place or time no longer arouses people’s suspicion). However, not all poskim agree – consult a Rav for practical guidance where required (SA 671:8, MB 50, Dirshu 89, PT 17).
5. In the entranceway: When placing the Menorah outside one’s door or at the entrance to one’s courtyard, if the entranceway has a mezuza, one should place the menorah on the left hand side, within a tefach of the entrance (the size of a tefach is disputed amongst more recent poskim, opinions range between 7.6 and 10cm), so that one has the mezuza to the right and menorah to the left, surrounding one with mitzvos.
   1. Nonetheless if one lit it to the right one has still fulfilled the mitzva.
   1. The menorah  may also be placed in the entranceway itself, rather than within a tefach in front of it, to the left by the doorpost.
   1. If the entranceway has no mezuza, however, the menorah should be place on the right hand side (SA 671:7, MB 33, 36).
   1. As above, if multiple family members are lighting, the Menorahs need to be distinct to ensure it’s clear how many candles are being lit that night. If there is insufficient space for them all to be placed in a distinct manner within a tefach of the entranceway, consult with a Rav to determine whether some should be put elsewhere, or whether they should be placed by the entranceway but spaced out even beyond 1 tefach away from the entrance itself (R 671:7, SH 18, Dirshu 61).
6. Height of the candles: The candles should ideally be placed such that the flame is more than 3 tefachim above the ground (between 22.8 and 30cm) and less than 10 tefachim  (76cm to 1m) above it.
   1. However, in cases when one lights by the window, if the window is more than 10 tefachim above the ground one would still light by the window.
   1. If one placed the menorah below 3 tefachim or above 10 tefachim one has still fulfilled the mitzvah, except if one placed it more than 20 amos (opinions range between 9.1 and 12 meters) above the ground as the cadles will not be easily visible to the eye. (SA 671:6, MB28)
   1. One who lives in an apartment block such that if one lights by the window, the menorah will be more than 20 amos above the street, should consult with a Rav about where to light, as the poskim debate whether to light by the front door or the window (Drishu 671:56); we also saw views above that one would light by the front door of the building.
7. Shul or Beis Hamedrash: When lighting in a shul or Beis Hamedrash, the Menorah should be placed by the southern wall, as the Menorah was by the southern wall in the Beis Hamikdash (SA 671:7, MB 4042).
   1. The practice is to light the candles in a high place and not within 10 tefachim of the ground (MB 671:27).
   1. There is significant discussion as to exactly how to light in shul in terms of which way the menorah should face, which way the one lighting should face (ie on which side of the menorah to stand) and which candle to light first; each shul should follow its custom, under the guidance of its Rav (MB 671:42-43, SHT 47, Dirshu 72, BH”L 676:5 D”H Kedei).
   1. The brachos should be made when lighting in shul.
      1. On the first night, an avel should not light the menorah due to the bracha of Shehecheyanu (though when lighting at home they do say this) (SA 671:7, MB 44).
   1. The practice is to light between Mincha and Maariv even on Erev Shabbos. However, if the congregation will not arrive in time to light after Mincha but before Shabbos, the candles should be lit before Mincha. If it is easily achievable to wait to light until ten men have arrived, it would be good to do so (SA 671:7, MB 47, BH”L Veyesh Nohagin).
   1. The one who lit menorah in shul must still light at home and say the brachos. However, they should not repeat Shehecheyanu on the first night at home, unless they are also lighting on behalf of other family members (SA 671:7, MB 44-45).