Community Magazine December 2003

HANUKAH LIGHTS 18 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE s xc Which Comes First: Minhah or Kindling? It is proper to be stringent and pray Minhah on Friday before kindling Hanukah lights. The reason is that Minhah corresponds to the daily afternoon sacrifice in the Temple, and kindling Hanukah lights commemorates the miracle that took place in the Temple Menorah. Just as in the Temple, the daily afternoon sacrifice preceded the kindling of lights, so do the Minhah prayers precede kindling. Nevertheless, someone who cannot readily find a minyan to pray Minhah well before sunset should kindle lights before Minhah and then pray with the congregation. When Should Lights be Kindled in the Synagogue on Friday Afternoon? In the synagogue, if Minhah is prayed close to sunset on Friday, Hanukah lights should be kindled before Minhah. Only if it is well before sunset should they pray first and kindle afterward. In any case, both at home and in the synagogue, one should be careful to kindle at least fifteen minutes before sunset. From When May Lights Be Kindled on Friday? Hanukah lights may not be kindled too early on Friday. They should be kindled 15 or 20 minutes before sunset. Someone who wishes to kindle earlier may do so providing that it is after pelag haminhah, that is, 11/4 zemaniot hours before nightfall. If he kindles earlier than this, he does not fulfill his obligation. He must extinguish the lights and rekindle with blessings after pelag haminhah. Which is First, Hanukah or Shabbat Lights? On Friday, Hanukah lights are kindled before Shabbat lights. If the time of kindling Shabbat lights is approaching, the wife may kindle Shabbat lights as soon as her husband has kindled the first Hanukah light. While he continues to kindle the other Hanukah lights, she should kindle the Shabbat lights. What if Shabbat Lights Were Already Kindled First? If Shabbat lights were kindled before Hanukah lights, according to the custom of Sefaradim and Adot Hamizrah there is no problem in kindling Hanukah lights afterward because acceptance of Shabbat is independent of kindling Shabbat lights. (Of course, the Hanukah lights must be kindled before sunset.) According to Ashkenazic custom: o Women accept Shabbat by kindling Shabbat lights. Nonetheless, if a woman kindled Shabbat lights early, her husband can certainly kindle Hanukah lights afterward. However, if she is to kindle both Shabbat and Hanukah lights (e.g., if her husband is not home), and she kindled Shabbat lights first, she may not kindle Hanukah lights afterward. She must therefore ask someone else to kindle them. o Men do not automatically accept Shabbat by kindling Shabbat lights. Therefore if a man kindled Shabbat lights without intending to accept Shabbat, he may kindle Hanukah lights afterward. How Much Oil Should Be Used? On Friday, sufficient oil must be poured into the Hanukah lamps to burn until half an hour after the stars appear. Someone whose lamps do not burn that long should try to obtain at least one lamp that does. If he does not have even one, he should kindle without blessings. What is the law if the lights were kindled Friday, and before Shabbat began they went out? Strictly speaking, it is not necessary to rekindle them. Nevertheless, it is proper to be stringent and rekindle them without blessings if they went out during the day. However, if they went out close to sunset, in order to avoid possible desecration of Shabbat, it is definitely forbidden to rekindle them. Is it Permitted to Use the Light From the Hanukah Before Shabbat? Although the essential mitzvah is that the lights should burn half an hour after the stars appear, using their light is forbidden from the moment they are kindled even if it is still daytime. Which is first, Havdalah Candle or Hanukah Lights? At the conclusion of Shabbat, in the synagogue Hanukah lights are kindled before Havdalah is made over wine for two reasons: o in order to delay the departure of Shabbat as long as possible. (Although the person who actually does the kindling thereby removes the sanctity of Shabbat from himself, the rest of the congregation, who do not fulfill their obligation to kindle Hanukah lights with his kindling, remain with the sanctity of Shabbat.) o so that the miracle will be publicized through the kindling of the Hanukah lights. If this is delayed until after Havdalah, the congregation may leave the synagogue before the Hanukah lights are kindled. At home, however, since one removes the sanctity of Shabbat anyway by kindling either type of light, Havdalah over wine takes priority. This is in accordance with the principle that a mitzvah that is done more frequently takes priority over one done less frequently. Therefore at home one first makes Havdalah and afterward kindles Hanukah lights. Is it Permitted to Say "Borei Meorei Haesh" over Hanukah Lights? The blessing Borei meorei haesh, "Who creates the light of fire," may not be said over Hanukah lights. The reason is that their light is forbidden, and this blessing may not be said unless one is about to derive benefit from the light. However, the blessing may be said over the Shamash. From the book Otzerot Yosef by Hagaon Rabbi David Yosef shelita based on rulings of Maran Rabbenu Ovadia Yosef shelita Kindling HANUKAH LIGHTS Before & After Shabbat