Frequently Asked Questions and Chanukah Safety
Frequently Asked Questions about Chanukah Dear Friends, I am pleased to provide this “Chanukah Guide”, prepared in partnership with Yeshiva University / CJF, in order to help us keep all the various laws and customs of Chanukah organized. I hope that it is helpful. Please accept my best wishes for a Happy Chanukah, or as they say in Israel – “Chag Urim Sameach” – “A Joyous Festival of Lights”. Rabbi Barry Gelman. This year Chanukah is celebrated From Sunday Night, December 6th thru Monday, December 14th (the final candle is lit on Sunday Night, December 13th). The victory of the Jews over their enemies established Jewish religious and political sovereignty in Israel during the second Temple times. This miracle of Jewish independence had not been seen since the destruction of the First Temple and the assassination of the governor, Gedalyah. Primarily, we celebrate Chanukah with spiritual expressions: (1) lighting candles in commemoration of the miracle of the rededication of the Temple, (2) singing Hallel in praise of God’s deliverance from our enemies, (3) adding Al Ha-‐Nisim in our prayers of thanksgiving in recognition of both aspects of the miracle of Chanukah. We also enjoy physical pleasures and celebrations by having (4) special foods, (5) gift giving, and even (6) parties.
1) What is the proper time to light the Chanukah lights? The proper time to light is 42 minutes after sundown (6:04 this year). If that is not possible, one should light as soon after that as possible. One can light all night. 2) How long do the lights have to burn? There must be enough oil or wax for the lights to burn for one-‐half hour. On Erev Shabbat, the lights must be able to burn until approximately 6:35PM. This means that when lighting on Friday afternoon one must put enough oil or have large enough candles to burn for approximately 1.5 hours as the Chanukah candles must be list before shabbat (5:04PM). 3) Where is the best place to position my Chanukiah? It should be placed in an area near a window where it can be seen those passing by. If there is no window or the window is more than twenty amot (approximately 36 feet) high or the window is a place where it is dangerous to light the Chanukiah, it should be placed in the doorway of the home opposite the mezuzah or another area of the house. 4) I am going to a family Chanukah party in the late afternoon and I won't get home until very late at night. Should I light before I leave, after I get home or at the Chanukah party? One may not light at the Chanukah party because that place is not your home. If someone will be at home when the time for lighting arrives, that person can light on your behalf. Alternatively, you can light when you return home. If that is not possible, you may light starting at 4:19PM, which corresponds to Plag HaMincha. If you will be leaving after Plag HaMincha, light after Plag HaMincha. If a meal will be served at the Chanukah party, your family members should agree to remind each other to light upon returning home. It is a good idea to set an alarm to remind you as well.
A service of Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future. The Halachic opinions in this document do not necessarily represent those of Yeshiva University or the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary.
5) I am not going to get home from work until 8:30pm. Should the rest of my family light without me? May I eat dinner before I light? Your family should wait until you get home and if there are children who need to go to sleep, they should light on their own. It is prohibited to eat a fixed meal before lighting Chanukah lights. IN this situation, one should set an alarm (on one's phone or alarm clock) as a reminder to light. The alarm should be set for a time when one intends to be home. 6) I am going out for the Friday night meal and I don't want to leave my lights unattended. Can I light at the home of my guest? You should light in your own home. If you are in a pressing situation consult with Rabbi Gelman to find a solution. 7) I read somewhere that there is prohibition against performing certain activities while the lights are lit. Can you please clarify? Only activities that involve real labor, such as sewing and laundering are included in this custom. 8) My family is staying at someone else's house for Shabbat Chanukah. Should we light at home on Friday or light at our hosts? Should we light at our hosts on Saturday Night or go home and light? On Friday, one should light at the home of the host. On Saturday Night, one should return home and light or remain in the host's house until Sunday and light there 9) I am travelling to Israel. My flight is during the day and I won't land in Israel until the next day. What should I do? One can technically fulfill the mitzvah on the airplane since he is eating and sleeping there. However, practical considerations do not allow one to fulfill the mitzvah. If there are members of the family who are remaining at home, they may light on your behalf. If there is nobody to light on your behalf, your only option is to use a battery operated Chanukiah (or flashlight) and light without reciting a beracha. 9) My family is staying in a hotel and I don't think the hotel will let me light in the room. What should I do? If you are eating most of your meals in the dining room, you should light in the dining room. You can light in the lobby of the hotel. 10) I would like to leave the house after lighting the Chanukah lights, but I don't want to leave the lights unattended. May I blow out the lights after lighting them? You may blow out the lights one-‐half-‐hour after lighting (if it is after 6:34PM pm). 11) I light with oil and it often does not burn completely. How do I dispose of the oil? If the oil burns for more than one-‐half-‐hour, you can dispose of the rest. However, it is preferable to have in mind that the extra oil should not become muktzeh (dedicated as Chanukah oil). If the oil did not burn for one-‐half-‐hour, you can either use it on one of the following nights or burn it after Chanukah. It may not be used for anything else. 12) On Saturday Night, should I recite Havdalah first or light the Chanukah lights first? Our custom for home lighting is to recite Havdallah first. 13) What is the rule if I forget to insert Al HaNissim in Shemoneh Esrei or Birkat HaMazon?
A service of Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future. The Halachic opinions in this document do not necessarily represent those of Yeshiva University or the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary.
Al HaNissim does not have to be repeated. If one realized his mistake before reciting Hashem's name in the beracha, he may return to Al HaNissim. If not, one should continue and later on, one can recite הרחמן יעשה לנו ניסים ונפלאות כשם שעשית לאבותינו בימים ... בימי מתתיהו.ההם בזמן הזה. This can be added to Birkat HaMazon in the middle of the HaRachaman section or in Shemoneh Esrei before reciting "Yihiyu L'Ratzon" (at the end of Shemoneh Esrei). 14) I went to a shiva house for Shacharit and they skipped Hallel. Should I recite it individually? Yes. There are different customs regarding Hallel on Chanukah in a shiva house. One custom is to recite Hallel while the mourners remain silent. The other custom is to skip Hallel and those who are not mourning recite Hallel individually after they leave the shiva house.
Chanukah Burn & Scald Prevention Chanukah Specific Reminders •
Keep the menorah away from curtains or any other flammable objects.
•
Keep the menorahs away from the reach of small children.
•
When making latkes, keep ALL children away from the hot oil.
•
When making latkes, remember to turn frying pan handles away from the edge of the stove, so that they do not get knocked over and cause the oil to be spilled.
A service of Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future. The Halachic opinions in this document do not necessarily represent those of Yeshiva University or the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary.
1) What is the proper time to light the Chanukah lights? The proper time to light is 42 minutes after sundown (6:04 this year). If that is not possible, one should light as soon after that as possible. One can light all night. 2) How long do the lights have to burn? There must be enough oil or wax for the lights to burn for one-‐half hour. On Erev Shabbat, the lights must be able to burn until approximately 6:35PM. This means that when lighting on Friday afternoon one must put enough oil or have large enough candles to burn for approximately 1.5 hours as the Chanukah candles must be list before shabbat (5:04PM). 3) Where is the best place to position my Chanukiah? It should be placed in an area near a window where it can be seen those passing by. If there is no window or the window is more than twenty amot (approximately 36 feet) high or the window is a place where it is dangerous to light the Chanukiah, it should be placed in the doorway of the home opposite the mezuzah or another area of the house. 4) I am going to a family Chanukah party in the late afternoon and I won't get home until very late at night. Should I light before I leave, after I get home or at the Chanukah party? One may not light at the Chanukah party because that place is not your home. If someone will be at home when the time for lighting arrives, that person can light on your behalf. Alternatively, you can light when you return home. If that is not possible, you may light starting at 4:19PM, which corresponds to Plag HaMincha. If you will be leaving after Plag HaMincha, light after Plag HaMincha. If a meal will be served at the Chanukah party, your family members should agree to remind each other to light upon returning home. It is a good idea to set an alarm to remind you as well.
A service of Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future. The Halachic opinions in this document do not necessarily represent those of Yeshiva University or the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary.
5) I am not going to get home from work until 8:30pm. Should the rest of my family light without me? May I eat dinner before I light? Your family should wait until you get home and if there are children who need to go to sleep, they should light on their own. It is prohibited to eat a fixed meal before lighting Chanukah lights. IN this situation, one should set an alarm (on one's phone or alarm clock) as a reminder to light. The alarm should be set for a time when one intends to be home. 6) I am going out for the Friday night meal and I don't want to leave my lights unattended. Can I light at the home of my guest? You should light in your own home. If you are in a pressing situation consult with Rabbi Gelman to find a solution. 7) I read somewhere that there is prohibition against performing certain activities while the lights are lit. Can you please clarify? Only activities that involve real labor, such as sewing and laundering are included in this custom. 8) My family is staying at someone else's house for Shabbat Chanukah. Should we light at home on Friday or light at our hosts? Should we light at our hosts on Saturday Night or go home and light? On Friday, one should light at the home of the host. On Saturday Night, one should return home and light or remain in the host's house until Sunday and light there 9) I am travelling to Israel. My flight is during the day and I won't land in Israel until the next day. What should I do? One can technically fulfill the mitzvah on the airplane since he is eating and sleeping there. However, practical considerations do not allow one to fulfill the mitzvah. If there are members of the family who are remaining at home, they may light on your behalf. If there is nobody to light on your behalf, your only option is to use a battery operated Chanukiah (or flashlight) and light without reciting a beracha. 9) My family is staying in a hotel and I don't think the hotel will let me light in the room. What should I do? If you are eating most of your meals in the dining room, you should light in the dining room. You can light in the lobby of the hotel. 10) I would like to leave the house after lighting the Chanukah lights, but I don't want to leave the lights unattended. May I blow out the lights after lighting them? You may blow out the lights one-‐half-‐hour after lighting (if it is after 6:34PM pm). 11) I light with oil and it often does not burn completely. How do I dispose of the oil? If the oil burns for more than one-‐half-‐hour, you can dispose of the rest. However, it is preferable to have in mind that the extra oil should not become muktzeh (dedicated as Chanukah oil). If the oil did not burn for one-‐half-‐hour, you can either use it on one of the following nights or burn it after Chanukah. It may not be used for anything else. 12) On Saturday Night, should I recite Havdalah first or light the Chanukah lights first? Our custom for home lighting is to recite Havdallah first. 13) What is the rule if I forget to insert Al HaNissim in Shemoneh Esrei or Birkat HaMazon?
A service of Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future. The Halachic opinions in this document do not necessarily represent those of Yeshiva University or the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary.
Al HaNissim does not have to be repeated. If one realized his mistake before reciting Hashem's name in the beracha, he may return to Al HaNissim. If not, one should continue and later on, one can recite הרחמן יעשה לנו ניסים ונפלאות כשם שעשית לאבותינו בימים ... בימי מתתיהו.ההם בזמן הזה. This can be added to Birkat HaMazon in the middle of the HaRachaman section or in Shemoneh Esrei before reciting "Yihiyu L'Ratzon" (at the end of Shemoneh Esrei). 14) I went to a shiva house for Shacharit and they skipped Hallel. Should I recite it individually? Yes. There are different customs regarding Hallel on Chanukah in a shiva house. One custom is to recite Hallel while the mourners remain silent. The other custom is to skip Hallel and those who are not mourning recite Hallel individually after they leave the shiva house.
Chanukah Burn & Scald Prevention Chanukah Specific Reminders •
Keep the menorah away from curtains or any other flammable objects.
•
Keep the menorahs away from the reach of small children.
•
When making latkes, keep ALL children away from the hot oil.
•
When making latkes, remember to turn frying pan handles away from the edge of the stove, so that they do not get knocked over and cause the oil to be spilled.
A service of Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future. The Halachic opinions in this document do not necessarily represent those of Yeshiva University or the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary.
