The Lights of Chanukah
"A centipede was happy – quite!
Until a toad in fun
Said, "Pray, which leg moves after which?"
This raised her doubts to such a pitch,
She fell exhausted in the ditch
Not knowing how to run."
---Attributed to Katherine Craster, in Pinafore Poems, 1871, according to Wikipedia.
If we thought about the minutiae that goes into lighting the Chanukah candles every year, would we become too exhausted or confused to light them at all? I sincerely hope not, as we answer - and ask - some burning questions about lighting the Chanukah candles.
How long should they stay lit?
Since we (finally) found attractive Chanukiyot that feature LED candles for our ChanuBoxes, we’ve been faced with a dilemma: We know that by tradition, some don’t work until the candles burn down, but surely, we’re not meant to burn out batteries every night? How long should we wait before turning them off? A quick tour of the Internet reveals that there is consensus! They should burn for at least 30 minutes – and should be lit at nightfall or later. On Shabbat, since they need to be lit before the Shabbat candles, they’re supposed to burn for an hour – from before sunset until after. And yes, once your half-hour is up, it’s actually okay to extinguish them.
That said, we’re pretty sure the birthday candles that fit in the tiny Chanukiahs we have in our boxes won’t burn for half an hour – after all, they’re meant to be blown out before dripping wax all over a birthday cake. We think it’s more important to be able to light candles wherever you are, and “standard” Chanukah candles are hard to come by in most places.
Where do we put the Chanukiah?
The traditional answer is near your open door, or failing that, a window so the light is visible from the street. The mind fairly boggles with arguments and problems – safety and weather being only two. Choose wisely.
What order do we light them?
Again, there’s broad consensus – assuming you are beginning with one candle on the first night and adding one more each night (more about that later). Put them in from right to left – like reading Hebrew – but light them left to right, so the “newest” candle gets lit first. What if your chanukiah (like mine) is symmetrical with no real front or back: does it matter if the right is always on the same side, so to speak? Also, does that mean everyone should stand on the same side of the table or wherever the Chanukiah is? I wish I could find answers for you. Talk among yourselves!
More about the order of lighting.
Dawn Bernstein, a long-time friend and dedicated blogger, wrote a meaningful blog a couple of years ago about the ancient debate as to whether to light one more candle each night, or start with eight and light one less each night. Read it here; it’s lovely and you won’t be disappointed.
https://dawnponders.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-great-hillelshammai-throw-down-of.html
