Today, Sunday, December 18, 2022 at night (25 Kislev 5783) we light the first candle of Hanukkah.
Below we briefly present the basic laws and customs of this Mitzvah.
BLESSINGS
The father or head of the household recites the following three blessings before lighting the first candle. During the following nights, only the first and second blessings will be recited.
בָּרוּך אַתָּה ה ‘ אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר (של) חֲנוּכָּה
“Blessed are You, HaShem, our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to light the Hanukkah candle.”
בָּרוּך אַתָּה ה ‘ אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁעָשָׂה נִסִּים לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ, בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם
בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה
“Blessed are You, HaShem, our God, Sovereign of the universe, who performed miracles for our fathers in those days, at this time.”
בָּרוּך אַתָּה ה ‘ אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְמָנוּ וְהִגִּעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה
“Blessed are You, HaShem, our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has allowed us to be alive to be present at this moment.”
After lighting the candles, we say “Hanerot Halalu.” This is the translation: “We light these candles for [celebrating] the miracles and salvation and wonders and portents and comfort that You granted our fathers in those days at this time of year, through Your holy priests. And during the eight days of Hanukkah, these flames are consecrated [for the Mitzvah], and we are not allowed to make ordinary use of them. They are only for us to look at to express our gratitude and praise for Your great Name for Your miracles, Your wonders and Your salvation.”
At the end we recite: Mizmor Shir Hanukkat haBayit leDavid … (Psalm 30)
WHERE SHOULD WE LIGHT THE CANDLES?
We light the Hanukka candles in recognition and gratitude to HaShem for the miracles He did with our ancestors. And we try to make this act of gratitude as visible and as public as possible (in Hebrew, pirsumé nisá). In the times of the Gemara, when these Halakhot were legislated, towns were small, with only one main street. The houses were low and uniform. The Hanukiah or candelabra was placed outside the house’s entrance door, at the height of about 40-50 cm. from the ground, on the side opposite the Mezuza. This was the best way for the Hanukka candles to be visible to those who arrived at their homes from their jobs. And this is how the Talmud and the Shulchan Arukh indicate that we should light the Hanukka candles also today. To do this, we should obviously use a special outdoor glassHanukka holder like to one you can see below,
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Most families, however, still place the Hanukka candles inside their residences, especially if they live in apartments. And to fulfill the obligation of pirsumé nisá, the candles are placed behind a window that is visible from the outside.
WHEN DO WE LIGHT HANUKKA CANDLES
The general custom is to light the candles at dusk (tset hakokhabim, that is, about 15 or 20 minutes after sunset). Some communities, however, follow the opinion of Maimonides (and the Gemara) which indicates that the candles are lit at sunset (sheqiá). Why did the Gemara determine sunset as the ideal time to light the Hanukka candles? Not long ago, people finished their daily jobs at sunset to return home before dusk. That time between sunset and dusk, when there is still light despite there being no sun, was the “rush hour”, the busiest time, as everyone was walking on the street, returning home from the field or their businesses. That was, therefore the ideal time to maximize the exposure of the Hanukka candles. There is another important but less well-known reason for this: by lighting the candles specifically before dusk, it was recognized that these candles were lit exclusively for Hanukka and not for ordinary lighting of the house. In modern times, lighting the candles at sunset might be too early for the “rush hour”. In New York, for example, sunset is now around 4.30 pm. Therefore, if we follow the original Talmudic tradition and light the candles at sunset, we should add enough oil so the candles are lit for some part of the night, too (that will be for the next two hours after sunset) when people return home from work.
If you cannot light the candles at nightfall (sheqia or tset hakokhabim), you can light the candles later when the family is at home.
