Earliest and Latest time to light Chanukah Candles: Difference between revisions
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# Soldiers in the army who can’t light at night for security reasons and want to light while it’s still day and extinguish it before it gets dark can light without a bracha. <ref> Yalkut Yosef (Moadim pg 210) </ref> | # Soldiers in the army who can’t light at night for security reasons and want to light while it’s still day and extinguish it before it gets dark can light without a bracha. <ref> Yalkut Yosef (Moadim pg 210) </ref> | ||
==Coming Home Late from Work== | ==Coming Home Late from Work== | ||
# Some poskim hold that one should wait for his wife because of Shalom Bayit even if that means missing lighting precisely at the time for lighting. <ref> Emet LeYacov 677 in the footnote, Kovetz MeBet Levi kislev 5757, Rav Mordechai Willig (oral communication, Halachipedia Chanuka Packet 5775).</ref> Such is the minhag.<Ref> Halachos of Chanukah by Rabbi Eider p. 34 n. 3 writes that if someone can't be home at the proper time but will get home before it is too late to light, that is while someone will still be a awake inside he shouldn't ask his his wife to light for him but to light himself when he gets home, | # Some poskim hold that one should wait for his wife because of Shalom Bayit even if that means missing lighting precisely at the time for lighting. <ref> Emet LeYacov 677 in the footnote, Kovetz MeBet Levi kislev 5757, Rav Mordechai Willig (oral communication, Halachipedia Chanuka Packet 5775).</ref> Such is the minhag.<Ref> Halachos of Chanukah by Rabbi Eider p. 34 n. 3 writes that if someone can't be home at the proper time but will get home before it is too late to light, that is while someone will still be a awake inside he shouldn't ask his his wife to light for him but to light himself when he gets home, especially if he's generally not careful to light at the earliest time. He concludes that such is the minhag. On p. 35 fnt. 22 he quotes that Rav Moshe Feinstein (Moadei Yeshurun n. 28) agreed that it is better to light yourself later than have someone else light for you on time.</ref> | ||
# Sephardic poskim hold that it is preferable to light at the right time by asking your wife to light rather than light yourself after a half hour after Tzet Hakochavim. Ashkenazic poskim debate the matter. <ref>Rav Ovadia Yosef (Yechave Daat 3:51) writes that it is preferable to ask one’s wife to light for him at Tzeit HaKochavim, rather than light later at home by oneself. The idea of Mitzvah Bo Yoter Mbshelucho is only if you can fulfill it in an equally ideal fashion, however, since if you light later that is not ideal it is better to fulfill the mitzvah yourself now. Yalkut Yosef Chanuka p. 382 rules exactly the same thing for someone at work late he should ask his wife to light on time. Torat Hamoadim Chanuka 4:6 and Or Letzion 4:43:4 agree. He even extends it to the case where neither the husband or wife is home and he says that you should ask a neighbor to light for you. Mayan Omer v. 3 p. 343 also quotes Rav Ovadia as saying that you should ask your wife to light for you on time instead of later. However, he also quotes Rav Ovadia from personal communication that if the whole family is away until very late Rav Ovadia said it is better to light later when you get back rather than ask a neighbor to light for you as a shaliach. Mayan Omer distinguishes between the two cases because the wife is more shayach to your house to be yotzei there than a neighbor. Also, he says that since everyone is coming home later there's a mitzvah for them to see the candles so that's a reason to have them light later but if the wife can light earlier then at least she can see the candles. Mayan Omer quotes Ben Ish Chai in Rav Poalim YD 2:35 that is similar to Rav Ovadia's approach. (As a contradictory piece of evidence, Rav Eliyahu Shtarit in Rabbenu p. 30 quotes Rav Ovadia Yosef as having allowed him to light later than tzet hakoachim himself rather than have his wife light for him on time. Also, he quotes Rav Dovid Yosef as saying that Rav Ovadia Yosef did that himself. To clarify, Rav Yitzchak Yosef in a [https://www.torahanytime.com/#/lectures?v=71848 Motzei Shabbat Shiur Vayeshev 5779 min 29] explained that his father used to give shiurim until very late like 11pm and then come home and light. His mother didn't want to light herself despite the fact that he asked her to.) | # Sephardic poskim hold that it is preferable to light at the right time by asking your wife to light rather than light yourself after a half hour after Tzet Hakochavim. Ashkenazic poskim debate the matter. <ref>Rav Ovadia Yosef (Yechave Daat 3:51) writes that it is preferable to ask one’s wife to light for him at Tzeit HaKochavim, rather than light later at home by oneself. The idea of Mitzvah Bo Yoter Mbshelucho is only if you can fulfill it in an equally ideal fashion, however, since if you light later that is not ideal it is better to fulfill the mitzvah yourself now. Yalkut Yosef Chanuka p. 382 rules exactly the same thing for someone at work late he should ask his wife to light on time. Torat Hamoadim Chanuka 4:6 and Or Letzion 4:43:4 agree. He even extends it to the case where neither the husband or wife is home and he says that you should ask a neighbor to light for you. Mayan Omer v. 3 p. 343 also quotes Rav Ovadia as saying that you should ask your wife to light for you on time instead of later. However, he also quotes Rav Ovadia from personal communication that if the whole family is away until very late Rav Ovadia said it is better to light later when you get back rather than ask a neighbor to light for you as a shaliach. Mayan Omer distinguishes between the two cases because the wife is more shayach to your house to be yotzei there than a neighbor. Also, he says that since everyone is coming home later there's a mitzvah for them to see the candles so that's a reason to have them light later but if the wife can light earlier then at least she can see the candles. Mayan Omer quotes Ben Ish Chai in Rav Poalim YD 2:35 that is similar to Rav Ovadia's approach. (As a contradictory piece of evidence, Rav Eliyahu Shtarit in Rabbenu p. 30 quotes Rav Ovadia Yosef as having allowed him to light later than tzet hakoachim himself rather than have his wife light for him on time. Also, he quotes Rav Dovid Yosef as saying that Rav Ovadia Yosef did that himself. To clarify, Rav Yitzchak Yosef in a [https://www.torahanytime.com/#/lectures?v=71848 Motzei Shabbat Shiur Vayeshev 5779 min 29] explained that his father used to give shiurim until very late like 11pm and then come home and light. His mother didn't want to light herself despite the fact that he asked her to.) | ||
* Rav Shternbuch (Teshuvot V’hanhagot 4:170) agrees, but adds that the husband should still light when he gets home. He may even recite the bracha if he had in mind not to fulfill his obligation earlier with his wife and some people in the house are still awake. Rav Vosner (Shevet Halevi 4:66) raises a doubt as to which is preferable, and concludes that it is probably preferable for the husband to light later that night by himself.</ref> | * Rav Shternbuch (Teshuvot V’hanhagot 4:170) agrees, but adds that the husband should still light when he gets home. He may even recite the bracha if he had in mind not to fulfill his obligation earlier with his wife and some people in the house are still awake. Rav Vosner (Shevet Halevi 4:66) raises a doubt as to which is preferable, and concludes that it is probably preferable for the husband to light later that night by himself.</ref> | ||
