The mitzva of candle lighting on Hanukka is designed to memorialize and publicize the miracle of the cruse of oil. In order to fulfill the mitzva completely, several halakhic guidelines must be observed. These relate to the number of candles used, those who light them, the location of the menorah, or hanukkiya as it is called in Israel, the substance used for fuel, the wicks, the order of lighting, and the duration for which the candles must remain lit.

The basic, minimal requirement of the mitzva as instituted by the Sages is to light one candle in each household on each of the eight nights of Hanukka, and one may indeed fulfill the mitzva in this manner if there are no available alternatives. Nevertheless, the universal custom is to observe the more enhanced version of the mitzva: On the first night of the holiday, one candle is lit, and on each subsequent night another candle is added, until on the eighth night, eight candles are lit.

It is prohibited to use Hanukka candles for one’s own needs, as reflected in the declaration HaNerot Halalu (“These Candles”), recited after the lighting of the candles: “And we do not have permission to use them but only to see them.” This is because their lighting should be solely for the sake of the mitzva and not for one’s personal benefit. Candlelight is not generally used for lighting nowadays, when rooms are lit by electric lights, but in earlier generations, when candles were lit in order to see at night, there was a concern that people might use Hanukka candles for illumination. Therefore, it became customary to add an extra candle, which is called the shamash, or “attendant.” This candle is used for lighting the other candles, after which it is placed next to them. If one subsequently does use the light of the menorah for personal purposes, it is considered that it is the shamash, and not the candles with which one fulfills the mitzva, that provides him with light.

This custom of placing a shamash candle remains to this day. It is positioned in such a manner that accentuates its status as an extraneous candle, that is, not directly alongside the actual Hanukka candles. In some menorahs the place for the shamash is in the center, while in others the shamash is at the end. Generally, it is placed on a higher stand than the other candles.

According to Sephardic custom, only the head of the household lights the Hanukka candles, and all the members of his household, including those who are not home at the time, fulfill their obligation through his lighting. By contrast, the Ashkenazic custom is for each member of the household to light candles in a separate menorah.

When a few menorahs are lit in one house, they should be kept apart from each other, so that an observer can identify the number of candles of that day.

Women are also obligated to fulfill the mitzva of Hanukka candles. Some have the custom to light the candles themselves, while others, in particular married women, fulfill their obligation through the lighting done by the head of the family. If a husband is absent from his home, his wife can light the candles at home and he can thereby fulfill his obligation.

The ideal location of the menorah is outside the house, next to the entrance from the street to the house, or from the street to a courtyard that leads to the house, in order to publicize the miracle in the public domain. The menorah is placed on the left side of the doorway, from the perspective of one entering the doorway, so that the mezuza will be on the right and the Hanukka candles on the left. One who passes through the doorway will therefore be surrounded by mitzvot. The menorah should preferably be located at a height of 24–80 cm, as this makes it clear that it was lit for the mitzva and not for the purpose of illumination.

In order that the wind should not extinguish the candles, it is recommended to place the menorah inside a clear enclosure, which will protect it from the wind and at the same time allow the burning candles to be seen. Such items can be found in shops that sell religious objects. It is also permitted to place the menorah indoors next to a window that faces the street. In tall apartment buildings, when a menorah set in the window would not be seen from the street, the menorah should be placed at the entrance to the apartment or at the entrance to the stairwell.

If it is not feasible to place a lit menorah outside the doorway for any reason, such as opposition from neighbors, or fear of vandalism, theft, or anti-Semitic harassment, one may light the candles inside the house. If so, the menorah can be placed wherever one wants, but there are those who customarily position it at the entrance to the house on the inside. Others put the menorah on the table.

There are those who maintain that since Jews were unable for many generations to display the menorah in public, one should not deviate from this time-honored custom even nowadays, and the lighting should take place inside the house.

Further reading: For more on how the Hanukka candles face the outside and light up the darkness, see A Concise Guide to Mahshava, p. 82.

One should light the Hanukka candles in the place where he will be sleeping that night. Consequently, if during Hanukka one spends the night away from home, he should light where he stays that night.

If one will not arrive at his home or at the location where he is staying overnight until later in the evening, he can have one of his household members, or even a neighbor, light at his home on his behalf. Alternatively, he should light when he arrives. However, since it is highly preferable to light at the correct time, one should make every effort to arrive where he is staying the night at the beginning of the evening.

All fuels and wicks are valid for the Hanukka candles if they can burn for the time necessary to fulfill the commandment, as detailed below. It is therefore permitted to use solid wax candles, which produce a beautiful and stable flame, but it is important to ensure that the candles are large enough to last for the required duration of the mitzva, especially on the eve of Shabbat; see below.

Notwithstanding the above, since the Hanukka miracle occurred with olive oil, it is preferable to use this oil. Additionally, olive oil produces a nice flame. In order to light with oil, one must procure receptacles into which the oil can be poured and a menorah that is suitable to hold such receptacles, as well as appropriate wicks and, of course, the oil itself.

Since the main aim of the candle lighting on Hanukka is to publicize the miracle, one should light the candles at an hour that their light is visible and many people will see them. Therefore, the Hanukka candles should be lit when it gets dark, about half an hour after sunset. The candles must remain lit for at least half an hour after they were lit.

One may light the candles until the time that the last passers-by still walk in the street. In talmudic times, this was assumed to be an hour after sunset. Nowadays, when people continue to walk in the streets far later than that, if one did not light at the ideal time, he may still light the candles as long as there are people outside. If one lights inside the house, he may light the candles as long as members of the household are awake.

In such cases, too, the candles should burn for at least half an hour after they were lit.

One who has to be out of the house at the time for lighting may light the candles even earlier, before he leaves, as long as it is within an hour and a quarter of the regular candle lighting time. In this case, he must use large candles that will burn long enough to last until a half hour after the regular candle lighting time.

On the eve of Shabbat, one should light the candles just before the time for lighting the Shabbat candles. As above, it is important to make sure that the Hanukka candles are large enough (or that the cups contain enough oil) to burn until about an hour after sunset. After lighting the Hanukka candles, one lights the Shabbat candles.

On Saturday night, it is customary to light the Hanukka candles after Havdala. Some light them beforehand, immediately upon returning home after the evening prayer service, so that the lighting will be as close as possible to the time when many people are on the streets. One who lights before Havdala must be careful to recite the version of Havdala found in the fourth blessing of the evening Amida. If he failed to recite the Havdala in the evening prayer, he must say the following before lighting the Hanukka candles: “Barukh hamavdil bein kodesh leĥol,” “Blessed be He who distinguishes between the sacred and the mundane.” In the synagogue, the candles are lit after the evening prayers, before Havdala.

The absolute latest time for lighting Hanukka candles is at dawn, as from that point onward the light of the candles is not noticeable.

Further reading: For more about Hanukka, see A Concise Guide to the Sages, p. 295; A Concise Guide to Mahshava, p. 79.

On the first night of the holiday, the candle should be placed on the right side of the menorah and the shamash in its designated place, separate from the other candle. On the second night, two candles are placed on the right of the menorah; on the third night, three candles are placed, again on the right side of the menorah, and so on until the entire menorah is filled on the eighth night. The lighting itself is performed from left to right, that is, on each night the new, added candle is lit first, before one moves along to the right to light the rest of the candles in order.

First one lights the shamash, which is then used to light the Hanukka candles. If the shamash was extinguished, one may not relight it from the Hanukka candles that have already been lit. After lighting the shamash but before starting the lighting of the Hanukka candles, one recites the following two blessings:

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who sanctified us through His commandments, and commanded us to light the Hanukka candle.”

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers, in those days, in this season.”

On the first night one adds the Sheheheyanu blessing:

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has given us life, sustained us, and brought us to this time.”

One who was unable to light Hanukka candles on the first night of the holiday recites the Sheheheyanu blessing on the first occasion on which he lights Hanukka candles that year.

After the lighting, it is customary to recite or sing the declaration HaNerot Halalu (“These Candles”), which can be found in most prayer books. In many communities it is also customary to sing the song Maoz Tzur (“Refuge, Rock”) which tells of God’s salvation of the Jewish people over the generations.

If one is staying at a friend’s house and he wishes to fulfill his obligation of lighting the candles through his friend’s lighting, he must give him at least a token sum of money in order to share the cost of the candles. This allows the lighting to count for him as well.

What should a person do if he is not able to light Hanukka candles himself, and he has no one to light on his behalf? When he sees Hanukka candles burning, he may recite the blessing: “…who performed miracles,” and the blessing of Sheheheyanu if it is the first night, but not the blessing: “…to light the Hanukka candle,” as he himself is not lighting.

Many women have the custom not to do work, especially housework, while the Hanukka candles are burning. One of the reasons for this practice is the prominent role that women played in the miracle of Hanukka. This is demonstrated by the story of Judith, who gained access to the enemy camp and killed a Greek general.

Further reading: For more about miracles, see A Concise Guide to Mahshava, p. 213.