Menorah Lighting: Laws, Customs, and the Light of Hanukkah

Kindling the Hanukkah Lights

The mitzvah of lighting the Hanukkah menorah — more precisely called a chanukiah — is one of the most widely observed practices in Jewish life. Even Jews who may not observe many other commandments often light Hanukkah candles, drawn by the beauty of the flickering flames, the warmth of family gathered around, and the ancient story of a small jar of oil that lasted far longer than it should have.

But behind the glow lies a detailed body of law and custom, developed over centuries of rabbinic discussion, that governs everything from the type of fuel to the direction of lighting to the precise moment when the flames should be kindled. Understanding these laws enriches the experience and connects the modern observer to a chain of tradition stretching back more than two thousand years.

The Basics

How Many Candles?

The Talmud (Shabbat 21b) records three levels of observance:

• Basic obligation: One candle per household per night
• Mehadrin (enhanced): One candle per person per night
• Mehadrin min hamehadrin (most enhanced): The number of candles increases each night

The universal practice today follows the most enhanced level, attributed to Beit Hillel: one candle on the first night, two on the second, and so on, adding one each night until eight candles burn on the final night. (Beit Shammai argued for the reverse — eight on the first night, decreasing to one — but the law follows Beit Hillel.)

In addition to the nightly candles, a shamash (servant candle) is used to light the others and then placed in a distinct position on the menorah, usually elevated or offset. The shamash is not counted among the Hanukkah lights.

Oil or Candles?

The original miracle involved olive oil, and many authorities consider olive oil the ideal fuel for the menorah. The oil connects directly to the story: when the Maccabees rededicated the Temple, they found only one small cruse of pure olive oil, enough for one day, yet it burned for eight.

However, wax candles are perfectly acceptable and have been the common practice in many communities for centuries. The candles should burn for at least thirty minutes after nightfall (or after the stars appear).

Other oils and waxes may be used, though olive oil is preferred. Electric menorahs, while decorative, do not fulfill the halakhic obligation according to most authorities, as the mitzvah requires an actual flame.

When to Light

Timing

The ideal time for lighting varies by community:

• Standard practice: At nightfall (tzeit hakochavim), approximately 20–40 minutes after sunset depending on location and season
• Some Ashkenazi custom: At sunset (shkiah), based on the opinion that the candles should burn during the period when people are still passing by and can see them
• Hasidic and many Sephardic custom: After nightfall

The candles should remain burning for at least thirty minutes after nightfall. If one must light later in the evening, the menorah may be kindled as long as household members are still awake to see the lights.

Friday and Saturday Nights

The intersection of Hanukkah and Shabbat creates special timing considerations:

• Friday afternoon: The Hanukkah menorah is lit before Shabbat candles. Since the candles must burn for thirty minutes after nightfall, they need extra fuel — longer candles or more oil. The Hanukkah candles are lit first, then the Shabbat candles.
• Saturday night (Motza’ei Shabbat): In the synagogue, the menorah is lit before Havdalah. At home, customs vary: some light the menorah first, then do Havdalah; others reverse the order. Both practices have strong rabbinic support.

How to Light

Placement

The menorah should ideally be placed where it can publicize the miracle (pirsumei nisa), which is the primary purpose of the mitzvah:

• Ideal placement: In a window facing the public street, or at the doorway opposite the mezuzah (so that one is surrounded by mitzvot — mezuzah on the right, menorah on the left)
• Apartment dwellers: In a window visible from the street
• In Israel: Many people place the menorah in a glass case (chanukiah) outside the front door

The menorah should be placed at a height between three and ten handbreadths from the ground (approximately 10 inches to 31 inches / 24–80 cm) for doorway placement, though window placement at any height is acceptable.

Direction of Lighting

Candles are placed in the menorah from right to left (adding the new candle to the left each night), but they are lit from left to right — meaning the newest candle is lit first. This ensures that the first blessing is recited over the candle that represents the current night’s addition.

The Blessings

On all eight nights, two blessings are recited before lighting:

1. “Baruch atah Adonai… l’hadlik ner shel Chanukah” — Blessed are You… who commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah light
2. “Baruch atah Adonai… she’asah nisim la’avoteinu…” — Blessed are You… who performed miracles for our ancestors in those days, at this time

On the first night only, a third blessing is added:

3. “Baruch atah Adonai… shehecheyanu…” — Blessed are You… who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season

The blessings are recited before lighting. After kindling the first candle, the hymn “Hanerot Halalu” (“These candles we light…”) is recited or sung while lighting the remaining candles.

After Lighting

After the candles are lit, it is customary to sing “Maoz Tzur” (“Rock of Ages”), a medieval hymn recounting God’s deliverances throughout Jewish history. Sephardic communities often sing “Mizmor Shir Chanukat HaBayit” (Psalm 30) instead or in addition.

The candles should not be used for any practical purpose — no reading by their light, no lighting other candles from them (except from the shamash). They are meant solely for viewing and publicizing the miracle.

Special Situations

Multiple Menorahs

Customs vary regarding how many menorahs are lit per household:

• Sephardic practice: One menorah per household, lit by the head of the family
• Ashkenazi practice: Each family member (including children old enough to light safely) lights their own menorah

When multiple menorahs are lit, they should be placed far enough apart that the flames of each are distinguishable.

Travelers and Guests

A person away from home should ideally light their own menorah. If staying with a host family, the guest can either contribute a small amount toward the host’s candles (acquiring a share in the mitzvah) or light their own menorah. College students in dormitories should light if safety regulations permit, using small oil cups or placing the menorah on a fireproof surface.

The Spiritual Dimension

Publicizing the Miracle

The central concept behind menorah lighting is pirsumei nisa — publicizing the miracle. Unlike many Jewish practices performed in private, the Hanukkah lights are meant to be seen. They face outward, toward the street, declaring to the world that miracles happened and that light endures even in the darkest season.

This outward orientation transforms the menorah from a personal devotional object into a public statement of faith. In generations when Jews faced persecution, the menorah was moved indoors and placed on a table rather than in a window or doorway — but the aspiration to publicize the miracle remained, even when safety required discretion.

Growing Light

Beit Hillel’s ruling — that we add a candle each night rather than decreasing — teaches that in matters of holiness, we always increase. The growing light of the menorah mirrors the Jewish commitment to building, to growing, and to adding light to the world one day at a time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use an electric menorah to fulfill the mitzvah? Most halakhic authorities hold that electric menorahs do not fulfill the obligation, as the mitzvah requires an actual flame (fire, not electrically heated filament). Electric menorahs are fine for decoration or display, but a traditional oil or candle menorah should be lit with the blessings.

What if I miss the lighting time — can I still light later? Yes. The menorah can be lit any time during the night as long as household members are still awake. If everyone has gone to sleep, some authorities permit lighting without the blessings. The optimal time is at nightfall, but late lighting is far preferable to not lighting at all.

Do women light the menorah? Yes. Women are fully obligated in the mitzvah of Hanukkah lighting, as the Talmud states that women were also part of the miracle. In Sephardic homes where one menorah is lit per household, the wife may light if the husband is absent. In Ashkenazi homes where each person lights their own, women light their own menorahs.