How to Light a Kosher Hanukiah Candelabra

Here is how to light a Hanuka candelabra, which is sometimes called a menorah and is even more familiarly referred to as a Hanukiah. The confusion in its name comes from the number of candles it holds. A “normal” Jewish candelabra – a Menorah – is modeled on the Menorah which stood in the now fallen Holy Temple of Jerusalem. The Temple’s candelabra had seven candle holders, where as a Hanukiah candelabra has nine, so being specifically suited to the festival of lights, the Hanuka candelabra with nine candle holders is named after the holiday and called a Hanukiah.

 There are several Halachot or Jewish laws concerning the lighting of the Hanukiah.

These laws originate from the Gamera which is a part of the Talmud. There are other references to these laws in other religious sources but what I want to give you are the practicalities of lighting a kosher Hanukiah.

Image by skpy via Flickr

1. At least one Hanukiah to each household, although you can light more than one. If the household lights more than one Hanukiah they should not be placed close together.
2. Ideally the Hanukiah should be placed outside the front door on the opposite side of the mezuzah. Seeing as a mezuzah is always attached on the right hand side of a doorway as you face the door way from the outside, the Hanukiah would be to the left of the entrance when looking from the outside. If this position is not possible the Hanukiah should be placed next to a window so that it can be seen from outside the house.
3. A single light (it can be candles or oil lamps) is lit each consecutive night for eight nights starting on the 25th of the Hebrew month Kislev. In 2009 Hanukah starts on 11th December, 02/12/10, 21/12/11.
4. Apart from the nightly candle another candle, the Shamash, which means servant or guard, is lit. This candle usually stands higher than the others, and is used to light the others.
5.  On each night you start by lighting theShamash, and then use it to light the other lights.
6. Apart from the Shamash the Hanukah candles are only to be looked on and admired but not used in any way. For this reason there should be another source of light in the room.
7. The candles must be lit after sundown, ideally 45 minutes after sundown, but if this is not possible they can be lit at anytime during the dark of night.
8.  The candles must remain lit for at least half an hour after nightfall.
9. On a Friday night when Shabbat begins at sundown the Hanukah candles are lit just before the Shabbat candles, so they are not really lit on the Shabbat as that is forbidden, but rather the last moment of Friday.
10. On the first night three blessings are said either directly before, during or after the lighting of the candles, according to various traditions, and on the following nights two blessings are said.
11. The first candle lit after the shamash is the first positioned to your right as you face the Hanukiah, after that on each consecutive night another candle is added alongside the first night’s candle. So that you always move from right to left until the whole Hanukiah is filled up on the eighth night. You light the candles starting with the left most candle, and work your way back the candle on your far right. In other words the candles are placed from right to left and lit from left to right.
12. There is no requirement to give gifts or eat specific foods although there are traditions that have become a steadfast part of the celebration.
13. The candles should not be put out, but left to burn down.
14. The Hanukiah must not be moved once the candles are lit.
15. You can light a Hanukiah if you are traveling away from home.
16. If you are traveling and wish to light a Hanukiah but there is no safe place to leave the candles, and they will need to be extinguished, then light them but don’t say the blessing.
17. If the candles are lit later during the night when no one else in the household is awake, and there is no one to witness the Hanukiah, not even passes by, then there is no need to say the blessings, but the candles should be lit.
18. Both men and women can light the candles.

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Note: There are several ways of spelling Hanuka/Hannuka,Hanukah,Chanuka/Channukah, so bare in mind it is a translation from the Hebrew and the spelling is different in various sources.