What are the rules of Chanukah candles?

For a supposedly “minor” holiday, there are a lot of rules for Chanukah itself, and many of them centre on the candles.

Our blog “So How Minor is Chanukah, Really?” outlines some of the Chanukah rules in a general way.

If you do an internet search for the rules of Chanukah candles, you’ll find surprisingly little consensus on the rules.

What should the candles be made of? And can they be electric?

There’s general agreement that oil lamps or wax candles are the way to go.

This article in the Forward argues that, since the main point of a Chanukiyah is the light, and not the act of kindling a fire, an electric light is fine – especially if it’s a trade-off between lighting an electric light or none at all, such as in a hospital, dorm, or hotel.

How long should they burn?

Opinion is unanimous here: they should burn for 30 minutes at least. This means that if you are using electric candles, turn them off after half an hour. You may want to set a timer!

In what order should I light Chanukah candles?

This was the subject of a fierce debate between the rabbinic schools of Hillel and Shammai. Our friend Dawn wrote this blog about it. You may decide to do what she ultimately decides, and light two chanukiyot – one with an additional candle each day, and another beginning with all the candles and lighting one fewer each day.

Incidentally, if you can’t afford a full set of 44 candles, it’s perfectly acceptable to light just one each night!

At JewJu Box, we offer a small chanukiyah which takes birthday candles, if you prefer a candle but find it hard to locate “standard” candles every year. We timed it – these candles burn for 12 minutes. We also have LED Chanukiyot in small and tiny sizes. You can buy them on their own, or in a ChanuBox. Click here to find everything we offer for Chanukah.