Chanukah 5784

1^st night of חנוכה (and all other nights of חנוכה)

הלכות of הדלקת נר חנוכה

• Prepare the חנוכה candles/oil and wicks early to be able to light in the proper time.
• The candles are to be set up from right to left. Meaning, on the first night only set up the candle on the far right. On the 2^nd night, add another candle to its left. On the 3^rd night, add another candle to its left, etc.
• Since it is אסור, forbidden, to benefit from the light of the מנורה, an additional flame, called a שמש, is customarily lit. The שמש should be placed in a different position than the regular נרות.

זמן הדלקת נרות

• One opinion is to light the מנורה at שקיעה, sunset.
• Another opinion is to light the מנורה at צאת הכוכבים, nightfall, approximately 42 minutes after שקיעה.
• Since some פוסקים are unsure about which time to light, they therefore light approximately 20-25 minutes after שקיעה. That way, at least part of the first 30 minutes that the מנורה is lit is within 30 minutes of שקיעה and part of it is after צאת הכוכבים. Also, some hold that this is the proper time to light.

Procedure for lighting the מנורה

• On all nights, prior to lighting one recites the ברכות of להדליק נר של חנוכה and שעשה נסים לאבותינו. On the first night only, the ברכה of שהחיינו is recited as well.
• After the conclusion of the ברכות, the נרות, candles, are lit. Start with the newest (leftmost) candle and light from left to right.
• After the first candle is lit, one may begin to sing הנרות הללו. However, many do not begin הנרות הללו until after lighting all the נרות, for better כוונה and for other reasons. Aside from הנרות הללו, one should not talk until he concludes lighting all the candles.
• After Haneiros Halalu, Maoz Tzur is customarily sung.

2^nd night of חנוכה – Friday evening

• It is preferable to daven מנחה early.
• The earliest one may light the מנורה is after פלג המנחה. Preferably, it should be lit slightly before the שבת.
• The candles for the מנורה on Friday evening must last at least ½ hour past צאת הכוכבים.
• Some sing מעוז צור after they light, while many sing it later at the Shabbos table.

3^rd night of חנוכה – Motza’ei Shabbos

• On מוצאי שבת there is a מחלוקת, disagreement, whether the מנורה is lit first or הבדלה is recited first. The prevalent מנהג in shul is to light נר חנוכה first. At home, some do מנורה first and some recite הבדלה first. Regardless of which מצוה one performs first, one should try to light נר חנוכה as soon as he can.

Davening on חנוכה

• For all the תפלות of Chanukah, Al HaNissim is recited. One who forgot על הנסים need not repeat שמונה עשרה.
• After חזרת הש”ץ, הלל שלם, the complete הלל, is recited on all eight days of חנוכה. After the conclusion of הלל, קדיש is recited. On a regular day of Chanukah, Chatzi Kaddish is recited, but on ראש חודש or שבת (a day when there is מוסף), קדיש שלם is recited.
• After Hallel, three aliyos from פרשת נשא are read.

ראש חודש חנוכה

שבת חנוכה

• At מעריב, say על הנסים. If forgotten, שמונה עשרה does not need to be repeated.
• At שחרית, say על הנסים. If forgotten, שמונה עשרה does not need to be repeated.
• On this שבת morning, 2 ספרי תורה are removed from the aron hakodesh. Seven aliyos are read from the first ספר תורה in פרשת מקץ. The second ספר תורה is then placed on the בימה and קדיש is recited. After הגבהה of the first ספר תורה, מפטיר is read in פרשת נשא from the second ספר תורה. Afterwards, הגבהה is performed. A special הפטרה of רני ושמחי is read.

Wednesday, ראש חודש:

• On Wednesday, as on every Rosh Chodesh, four aliyos are read. But on this ראש חודש, two ספרי תורה are taken out. Read from פרשת פנחס in the first ספר, and from פרשת נשא in the second ספר.

מנהגי חנוכה

• There is a מנהג to eat both milchigs and oily foods, to commemorate some of the נסים which took place.
• There is no requirement per se to eat a סעודה on חנוכה. However, one who sings praises to Hashem and/or says דברי תורה transforms his ordinary meal to a סעודת מצוה.
• Children are given “Chanukah gelt” and often play dreidel.