A poor person lighting Chanukah Candles

From Halachipedia

This article pertains to a person who doesn’t have enough money for Chanukah candles.

  1. A person who only has only enough oil for one night, meaning, just enough oil to last a half hour, should light that amount of oil on the first night and not split it up for all the nights.[1]
  2. On the second night, a person who only has two candles should light one that night and one the next, so that tomorrow he will also be able to light.[2]
  3. On the eighth night, a person who doesn’t have enough for all 8 candles should light the eighth one with the required amount and split up the rest of the oil between the other candles. [3]
  4. One who only has two candles on the third night or any case where he doesn’t have the right number of candles should only light one candle. [4]
  5. One who only has 9 candles should light two on the second night and one the rest of the nights. Similarly, if one has 10 candles, one should light two on the second night and one the rest of the nights and not light two on the third night. [5]
  6. Someone who accidentally lit two candles on the third night thinking that it was the second night should light the other candles without a bracha.[6]
  7. On the second night, a person who only had 1 candle and lit it later got another candle should light the that candle without a bracha. Similarly, a person who lit one only one candle by mistake should light the other candles without a bracha. However, if by the time one gets more candles or remembers the candle(s) went out one can’t just light the extra candles, but rather should go back and light the right number of candles simultaneously without a bracha. [7]
  8. If someone has enough oil for all the nights with hiddur, and his friend doesn’t have anything, one should give his friend enough for the basic requirement. However if your friend is a household member in a house that already has one set of candles, one doesn’t need to give up his hiddur for his friend’s hiddur. [8]
  9. Someone who doesn’t have money for both Shabbat candles (the minimum is one candle) and Chanukah candles (the minimum is one candle) should buy Shabbat Candles, however nowadays one can fulfill Shabbat candles with electric lights and so one who has electric lights should buy Canuka candles. [9]
  10. Someone who doesn’t have money for both Chanukah candles and wine for kiddish or Havdalah should buy Chanukah candles and make kiddish on bread and make Havdalah in Shemoneh Esrei. [10]

Related Pages

  1. Lighting Chanuka Candles

Sources

  1. Sh”t Sadeh HaAretz O”C 3:34, Sh”t Lechem Shlomo O”C 117(5), Moadei Hashem pg 111c s.v. Kavaum, Sh”t Imrei Shefer O”C 5, and Sh”t Sheilat Yitzchak 3:58(2) hold one should use the required amount for the first night even at the expense of other nights. Netah Surak 73b says based on the Bet Yosef’s answer that the Chashmonaim split up the oil for the 8 days, that one is allowed to do the same since the minimum amount of a half hour isn’t Me’akev. Divrei Tzvi 671 agrees. However, Chazon Ovadiah (Mitzvah Hadlaka 4, pg 28) argues the Bet Yosef’s answer was only for the Bet Hamikdash where miracles are regular and that his answer wasn’t meant in a halachic sense. See Rav Ovadya’s Meor Yisrael (vol 3, pg 312).
  2. Chaye Adam 154:25, Ikrei HaDaat 35:6, Chazon Ovadiah (Mitzvah Hadlaka 5, pg 29), Torat HaMoadim (Chanukah 1:7)
  3. Magan Avraham 671:1, Eliyah Raba 671:3, Yad Aharon (Hagahot Hatur), Chaye Adam 154:25, Siddur Bet Ovad (Chanukah 4 pg 158a), Aruch HaShulchan 671:10, Mishna Brurah 671:5, Chazon Ovadiah (Mitzvah Hadlaka 5, pg 29), Torat HaMoadim (Chanukah 1:9)
  4. Chaye Adam 154:25, Sh”t Katav Sofer 135, Sh”t Shevet Sofer 26 s.v. Elah, Aruch HaShulchan 671:10, Mishna Brurah 671:5, Kaf HaChaim 671:10, Bet Halevi on Torah (Chanukah pg 29b), Mishpat Cohen 95, Sh”t Rivavot Efraim 4:181(11), Sh”t Mishnat Halachot 6:84, Moadim BeHalacha pg 166, Chazon Ovadiah (Mitzvat Hadlaka n. 7, pg 31), Torat HaMoadim Chanukah 1:8 all hold that since the mitzvah is to light the number of the night lighting the wrong number isn’t a hiddur and may be a violation of Bal Tigra against the Avi Ezri (Chanukah 4:1).
  5. Torat HaMoadim Chanukah 1:8 based on the sources in previous footnote.
  6. Orchot Chaim Chanukah 10
  7. The Bet Yosef 672:2 quotes the Orchot Chaim (Chanuka v. 1 n. 10) who says one who lit two candles on the third night should light a third candle without a bracha since the original bracha included all candles later to be lit. The Levush 672 and Magen Avraham 676 agree.
    • Yet, the Magen Avraham 651:25 explains that the opinion of the Rambam is that if one lit the candles and only later on found more candles he should make another bracha. Eliyah Raba 672:7 agrees. Pri Megadim A”A 672:3 questions it. Machasit HaShekel 676 asks why one would have to recite a new bracha if one already fulfilled the mitzvah with the first candle. However, Birkei Yosef 671:3 explains that the Rambam just meant that if one is going to light in another house and didn't have it in mind originally, one must recite another bracha. This is also suggested by the Rambam in Sh”t Pear Hadur 11. Maamer Mordechai 676:1, Olot Shabbat 676:1, and Sh”t Pri HaAretz 3:2 agree with this explanation. Shaarei Teshuva 671:2, Sadeh HaAretz 3:42, Torat HaMoadim Chanukah 1:10, and Chazon Ovadiah (Mitzvat Hadlaka footnote 7, pg 30) concur.
    • The above pertains to someone who lit one candle knowing the correct night but simply lit the wrong number of candles. Similarly, if one lit the wrong number of candles because one thought that it was another night, the Pri Chadash says one adds a candle without a bracha. Chaye Adam 154:29, Sh”t Yehuda Yaleh Assad O”C 205, Sh”t Nachlat Binyamin 133 s.v. Hen Emet, Katav Sofer O”C 135(3), Kol Sinai (Kislev 5725), Kaf Hachaim 672:20, and Torat HaMoadim Chanukah 1:10 agree. However, Erech HaShulchan 672:7 and Rabbi Akiva Eiger (Mehudra Tanina 13) write that one makes a bracha in such a case. See Sedei Chemed (Chanukah 18), Ben Ish Chai (Vayeshev 10), Sh”t Meishev Devarim O”C 153, Sh”t Rav Moshe Feinstein in Igrot Moshe O”C 190 pg 329a, and Sh”t Hitorerut Teshuva 1:103e.
  8. Magan Avraham 671:1 writes that it’s better that one allow his friend to do the basic mitzvah and forfeit his hiddur mitzvah. Eliyah Raba 671:3 limits this to where the friend isn’t a household member, but in a case where the friend is a household member of a house that already has one set of candle and is just lighting his own menorah (as per Minhag Ashkenazim) for hiddur, one shouldn’t give up from his hiddur mitzvah for your friend’s hiddur. Machsit HaShekel 671:1, Pri Megadim A”A 671:1, Chaye Adam 154:25, Mishna Brurah 671:6, and Kaf Hachaim 671:9 agree. Chemed Moshe argues on the Magan Avraham that one doesn’t need to give for someone else’s mitzvah. Similarly, Torat Hamoadim (Chanukah pg 30-31) and Sh”t Machneh Chaim Kama (O”C 29, Y”D 3:55 pg 41a) argue that the Magan Avraham didn’t mean it as an obligation but as a chesed. However, Sh”t Mechtam Ledavid O”C 6 and Sh”t Lev Chaim (1:91 pg 126d) understand the Magan Avraham that it is an obligation. Chazon Ovadyah (Chelek 1 Vol 2 Siman 47) concludes that one must give the candles. Nonetheless Torat HaMoadim(Chazon Ovadiah’s son) argues that Chazon Ovadiah just meant it is preferable as a chesed.
  9. Shabbat 23b Rava says that Shabbat candles which are for Shalom bayit take precedence over Chanukah candles, but Chanukah candles which are for Pirsumei nisa (publicizing the miracle) take precedence over kiddish. Rambam (Chanukah 4:14), Tur and S”A 678 agree. Or Zaruh 2:326 implies this is only someone who only has one candle but someone with two would light one for Shabbos and one for Chanukah. Magan Avraham 678:1, Eliyah Raba 678:1, and Mishna Brurah 678:1 agree. Tur 296, Rama 296:5 hold Chanukah candles take precedence over Havdalah. The reason that Chanukah precedes kiddish is because kiddish can be done on bread, but if one doesn’t have wine or bread then bread precedes Chanukah candles because kiddish is a Deoritta (according to many Rishonim) and even if it’s derabanan (Ramam) still bread takes precedence (either because the Rambam would agree kiddish is deoraitta if one doesn’t make it even on bread or that kiddish is a Derabanan learned out of a pasuk), see Torat Moed Chanukah pg 34-6).
  10. see previous footnote