Introduction

Hanukkah is an 8 day celebration commemorating the victory of the Israelites over the Seleucids in the 2^nd century BCE.  This holiday is marked by the lighting of candles for 8 consecutive nights to recall the miracle of the flask oil that had the capacity to burn for 1 night and miraculously burned for 8 nights in the temple. Josephus, a 1^st century historian called Hanukkah, “The Festival of Lights”. This article analyzes the requirement to light and see these candles drawing upon the Talmud, Maimonides, and Shulchan Aruch with associated commentaries. 

Aspects

Unlike other commandments, the mitzvah of Hanukkah candles has two different aspects (based upon the commentary Bayit Chadash of Rabbi Joel Sirkis of the 16^th-17^th centuries on Tur Shulchan Aruch 676):

• Household – A household has an obligation to light at least one candle per night for each day of Hanukkah at their dwelling to publicize the miracle (Talmud Shabbat 21b) either by others actually seeing the candles or at least the potential to see the candles.  Any adult member of a family can light on behalf of the entire family (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 671:2). The Shulchan Aruch (ibid.) records the custom to increase the number of candles per night starting from 1 on the 1^st night to 8 on the 8^th night but only one set of candles per household. The Rema (ibid.) cites the custom that all males of the household light each night with increasing number (Mishna Berurah 671:10). Since the obligation to light is related to a house, a person who is travelling is exempt from lighting unless he has a dwelling while travelling (e.g. overnight compartment on a train or boat).           
• Person – A person has an obligation to express gratitude for the miracle of the Hanukkah lights by seeing the candles even if he did not light them. Similarly a traveler may light the candles with the blessings even if his family lit on his behalf to express his thanks for the miracle.   

Blessings

The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 676:1), based upon Talmud Shabbat 23a, rules that one who lights the Hanukkah candles on the 1^st night recites blessings on the following:

• Lighting of candles.
• Miracle of Hanukkah.
• Joy of holiday.

On the following nights one recites the first two blessings because the 3^rd blessing is recited only once per holiday (ibid. 676:2). 

A travelling person who cannot light Hanukkah candles recites the 2^nd and 3^rd blessings when seeing the candles on the 1^st night and the 2^nd blessing on subsequent nights (ibid. 676:3). The Shaar Hatziyun (676:3) cites a view that a person who did not light or see the candles may recite the 2^nd and 3^rd blessings on the 1^st night and the 2^nd blessing on subsequent nights to express gratitude for the miracle of Hanukkah. However the Shaar Hatziyun (ibid.) concludes one should not recite the blessings unless lighting or seeing the candles.

The different blessings relate to the 2 aspects of the Hanukkah candles with household aspect related to all 3 blessings. The personal aspect relates to the 2^nd and 3^rd blessings. In this article the different cases will be analyzed with respect to these blessings.           

Analysis

Household Aspect

This aspect refers to an obligation to publicize the miracle of Hanukkah in a household setting which involves the following factors:  

• House structure.
• Time of lighting.
• Location of candles.

House Structure

The codifiers of Halacha debate the minimum requirement of this dwelling as follows:

• Roofed.
• Eating and sleeping quarters.
• At least for 1 night.

Roofed

The house must be roofed which excludes a camp under the stars or a soldier in a foxhole. However one may light in a tent with a secure roof.

Eating and Sleeping Quarters

To qualify as a house the traveler must have private eating and sleeping quarters which excludes a plane, bus, or a regular passenger train. Hence one may light in a train with private sleeping cars provided the train company allows one to light candles. For the sake of safety one may light only one candle per night which is the minimum requirement for Hanukkah.

One night

To qualify as a house the traveler must have permission to use the room for at least one night (e.g. cabin in cruise ship).        

Different Opinions

The Yalkut Yosef (677:8) and Dirshu edition of the Mishna Berurah (671:19) cite the above rulings that consider temporary dwellings as a house for lighting Hanukkah candles. The Aruch Hashulchan (ibid. 677:5) allows lighting in a train but does not cite the requirement of a sleeping car. The Yalkut Yosef (ibid. and note 84) cites lenient opinions that consider a foxhole or open campsites as dwellings. However this source concludes that one may light under these conditions but without reciting the blessings.    

Time of Lighting

The Talmud (Shabbat 21b) specifies the time for lighting Hanukkah candles from the setting of the sun until people leave the market place which is about ½ hour later. The commentators on the Talmud explain that during this time people will see the candles and thereby publicize the miracle of Hanukkah. If one lights before sunset the candles are not recognizable because of natural light. If one lights past the latter time people are not around to see the candles even though it is dark.  Hence we see that seeing the candles is an important part of the mitzvah. However the Shaar Hatziyun (672:17) states that one may light the candles with a blessing even though no one else will see the candles because lighting of the candles at the proper time is the main component of the mitzvah. 

The commentators on this passage of the Talmud differ on the following points: 

• Setting of the sun.
• Upper limit.

Sun Setting

The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 672:1) defines this time as end of the sun setting which means when 3 stars appear in the nighttime sky (Mishna Berurah  672:1). By contrast Maimonides (Laws of Hanukkah 4:5) defines this time as the beginning of sun set (i.e. when the sun goes below the horizon). The time between these two opinions depends upon the latitude of the location (e.g. Jerusalem 30 minutes or New York 50 minutes).  Others explain sun set as 15 minutes before 3 stars appear (Mishna Berurah 672:1). The Dirshu edition of the Mishna Berurah (672:1) provides a detailed discussion on this matter. The Yalkut Yosef (672:1) suggests lighting the candles 15 minutes after sunset in Israel which corresponds to dusk. Hence the 30 minute limit ends at 45 minutes after sunset (i.e. 15+30) in Israel. According to all of these opinions one should light the Hanukkah candles when it becomes dark and are therefore visible. 

Upper Limit

The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 672:2) permits lighting candles with a blessing after the ½ hour limit until dawn of the following morning. The Mishna Berurah (672:11) qualifies this ruling and insists that at least 2 family members be present at this lighting to publicize the miracle. The Aruch Hashulchan (ibid. 672:7) requires only 1 family member. If a person is alone he may light the candles without a blessing.

However the current custom is to light the candles past the ½ hour limit with a blessing even if one is alone or family members are sleeping (Dirshu edition of Mishna Berurah 672:37 and Yalkut Yosef 672:3) because lighting of the candles is the primary component of the mitzvah. Publicizing the miracle is an additional component of the mitzvah but not essential (Dirshu ibid. and 672:39 quoting Igrot Moshe – Orach Chaim Section 4 Responsa 105:7). (The responsa Igrot Moshe was written by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein of New York and is considered as the Orthodox Jewish legal authority of the 20^th century whose rulings are often referenced in works of Halacha.)

By contrast Maimonides (Laws of Hanukkah 4:5) rules that one should not light past the ½ hour limit because the general public will not see the candles. However the Aruch Hashulchan (ibid. 672:6) opines that the current practice does not follow the view of Maimonides because we light indoors and therefore the main aspect of publicizing the miracle applies to family members and not the general public. In addition with our electric street lighting many people are outside past the ½ hour limit.     

The following table presents the different scenarios for lighting candles (i.e. within the ½ hour limit or after and whether alone or with others) with respect to reciting the blessings on the candles. The others may refer to family members or passersby who will see the candles.

Scenario	Seen by Himself	Seen by Others	Blessing
Within ½ Hour – Others	√	√	√
Within ½ Hour – Alone	√	X	√
After ½ Hour – Others	√	√	√
After ½ Hour – Alone	√	X	Dispute

Hence we see that the lighting of candles is conditional upon seeing the candles either by the person lighting the candles (former opinion) or others who will see the lit candles (latter opinion).

Location (Height of 20 Amot)

The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 671:6) rules that if a person lit the candles 20 amot (about 10 meters or 33 feet) above ground level this lighting is invalid because people (both the person lighting or others) will not easily see these lights (Mishna Berurah 672:28). The measurement of 20 amot starts from the ground level of the passersby. When living in a high rise building one should light near his door because passersby will not see the candles if lit at a window facing the street (Dirshu 671:56). However the Dirshu (ibid.) quotes a minority opinion that allows lighting at the window because dwellers of nearby high rises may see the candles thereby publicizing the miracle. In any event seeing the candles is an essential part of the mitzvah.   

Personal Aspect           

The codifiers of Halacha debate whether these 2 aspects are independent or the first is primary with the second acting as a replacement when the former is not fulfilled. This dispute relates to the following cases which are analyzed below in terms of lighting and reciting the requisite blessings.

• Blind person.
• Traveler will see the candles of others.
• Traveler person will not see the candles of others.
• Traveler in a different time zone.   

Blind Person

Neither the Talmud nor the Shulchan Aruch discusses the case of a blind person lighting the Hanukkah candles resulting in a debate in Halacha. On one hand, a blind person should be obligated in the mitzvah of lighting Hanukkah candles because he is physically capable of lighting candles with the assistance of another. In addition he has the obligation to light the candles when he resides at home or a fixed dwelling according to the first aspect of household. On the other hand, he may not be obligated in this mitzvah because he cannot see the candles which relates to the personal aspect. The first view holds that the first aspect is primary. In addition others can see the candles thereby publicizing the miracle.      

Hence there are the following views about reciting the blessings on the 1^st night. On the following nights one does not recite the 3^rd blessing.

• 3 blessings – Yalkut Yosef (675:13) and fulfill the mitzvah for others (ibid. 14).
• 2^nd and 3^rd blessings – Dirshu (675:17) because he has lit the candles which allows others to see them.
• No blessings – Mishna Berurah (675:9) and cannot fulfill the mitzvah for another because he cannot see the candles. The Aruch Hashulchan (675:5) explains that publicizing the miracle involves seeing the candles. However a blind person may light the candles when guided by another person.     

To avoid a dispute in Halacha, the Mishna Berurah (675:9) advises that an adult family member light on behalf of the blind person if at home. If he is living in a group home, one of the residents of the home may light with blessings both for himself and on behalf of the blind person. If alone, he lights without reciting the blessings based upon the rule that when in doubt abstain from reciting blessings (Mishna Berurah 676:6).     

Traveling Person

The Talmud (Shabbat 23a) states that one who sees the Hanukkah candles recites the 2^nd and 3^rd blessings on the 1^st night and 2^nd blessing on subsequent nights. However the Talmud does not indicate whether or not his family lit on his behalf leading to a debate in Halacha. According to the view that the primary aspect is the household, the traveler should not recite the blessings upon seeing the candles of others if his family lit on his behalf because the household obligation was fulfilled by his family. According to the view that the personal aspect is in addition to the household obligation, a traveler should recite the blessings upon seeing the candles of others even if his family lit on his behalf to fulfill his personal obligation.  

The Shulchan Aruch rules according to the first view and distinguishes between the following cases:

• Will see the candles of others (Orach Chaim 676:3).
• Will not see the candles of others (Orach Chaim 677:3).
• Guest (Orach Chaim 677:1).

See the Candles- First View

The Shulchan Aruch rules that a travelling person, when seeing the Hanukkah candles of others, may recite the blessings under the following conditions:

• Not yet lit the candles this night. 
• Will not light the candles this night.
• Family did not light on his behalf. 

The Dirshu Edition of the Mishna Berurah (676:13), based upon Tosafot Sukkah 46a, explains that the sages permitted reciting these blessings because of the love of the holiday of Hanukkah and to take account of someone who is not at home.        

However if the traveler can secure a dwelling later that night he should not recite the blessings when seeing the candles. Rather he should light his own candles and recite the blessings at his temporary dwelling. If his family lit on his behalf he need not recite the blessings upon seeing the candles of others because he is covered by their lighting.

See the Candles – Second View

According to this view, a person should recite the requisite blessings upon seeing the candles of others to give thanks to Hashem for the miracle of Hanukkah even if his family lit on his behalf (Shaar Hatziyun 676:9 and Aruch Hashulchan 676:7). However the Mishna Berurah (676:6) follows the former view to avoid reciting blessing with Hashem’s name when there is a dispute in Halacha.  

Factors

The Yalkut Yosef (676) points out some factors about reciting the blessings on seeing the Hanukkah candles as follows:

Halacha 24 – One may recite the blessings only within the first ½ hour after lighting because past this time the mitzvah was finished.

Halacha 27 – Although the Shaar Hatziyun (676:3) quotes views that one may recite the blessings without actually seeing the candles, one should not recite the blessings without seeing the candles.

Halacha 28 – One may recite the blessings on seeing the candles after they are lit on Friday afternoon and for ½ hour after dusk which results in an interesting anomaly. After sunset leading into the Sabbath one cannot light the candles which would be a violation of the Sabbath but one may recite the blessings on seeing these candles.  

Halacha 29 – There is a dispute in Halacha about reciting the blessings on seeing the Hanukkah candles lit in the synagogue. The Yalkut Yosef permits reciting the blessings because the custom to light in the synagogue is tantamount to a home lighting for the viewer. By contrast the Igrot Moshe (Volume 1 Orach Chaim Number 190) disagrees because lighting in the synagogue is not equivalent to lighting at home.       

Will not see the Candles – First View

The Mishna Berurah (ibid. 677:16) rules that a travelling person who will not see the candles of others (e.g. travelling in a remote area) may light the Hanukkah candles without the blessings because his family lit on his behalf, thereby fulfilling the household obligation.  

If he wishes to recite the blessings the Mishna Berurah (677:15) advises the traveler to exempt himself from his family’s lighting; otherwise his blessings may be in vain. Alternately the Mishna Berurah (676:16) advises the traveler to light before his family light at home to maintain his personal obligation to light.    

Will not see the Candles – Second View

The Shulchan Aruch (ibid. 677:3) rules that a travelling person who will not see the candles of others (e.g. travelling in a remote area) should light the Hanukkah candles with the blessings even though his family has lit on his behalf. This ruling follows the second aspect of the Hanukkah candles which emphasizes the personal obligation to express thanks on the miracle of Hanukkah by seeing the candles (Rema ibid.). 

Furthermore the Rema (ibid.) allows the traveler to light his own candles and recite the requisite blessings even though his family has lit on his behalf to further express gratitude over the miracle of Hanukkah.  

Recommendation

Mishna Berurah (677:15) advises the traveler to exempt himself from his family’s lighting; otherwise his blessings may be in vain because his basic obligation was covered by his family. Alternately the Mishna Berurah (676:16) advises the traveler to light before his family light at home to maintain his personal obligation to light.  

Without Family

A traveler without a family is required to light his own Hanukkah candles at his temporary  dwelling even if no other Israelite will see the candles (Shaar Hatziyun 672:17). Although he cannot fulfill the mitzvah of publicizing the miracle his primary obligation of lighting takes precedence because he has fulfilled both aspects of lighting (i.e. household and personal).  

Different Time Zones

The contemporary decisors of Halacha debate the case of a traveler who resides in a time zone which is different from his family. For example if the husband is traveling in America and his wife resides in Israel there will be a 7 hour difference in time between the two. Hence if his wife lights early in the evening the husband may not be covered by her lighting because it is daytime in America. However if she lights much later in the evening the husband will be covered because it will be nighttime in America. A similar situation occurs in the reverse (i.e. husband in Israel and wife in America). The debate centers on the 2 aspects of the Hanukkah candles – household or personal. According to the first view the location of his wife, in the examples above, determines the fulfillment of the mitzvah of lighting independent upon the location of the husband. Therefore the husband is exempt from lighting if the wife lights at night in her time zone. According to the view that the personal obligation is independent of the household obligation then the husband is required to light or at least see the candles at night in his time zone.

The Dirshu edition of the Mishna Berurah (677:5) cites both views. Similarly the Yalkut Yosef (677:5) mentions both views and favours the second approach. If the husband wishes to light the candles with the requisite blessings he should intend to exempt himself from his wife’s lighting or light before his wife, depending upon the time zone. 

Guest

The Talmud (Shabbat 23a) states that a guest without family is obligated to light the Hanukkah candles where he is hosted. He may be covered by the lighting of his host provided that he shares in the cost of the oil or candles. If his family lit on his behalf they have fulfilled his obligation and therefore he does not need to share in the cost. The decisors of Halacha cite this ruling from the Talmud in terms of the two aspects of lighting Hanukkah candles.

First View – Household Aspect

The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 677:1) rules that a guest, whose is single or whose wife did not light at home, should contribute to the host’s oil or candles and is therefore covered by his lighting. The Mishna Berurah (677:3) explains that the traveler does not have to equally share the expenses of the oil or candles with his host. Even a nominal amount (about 5 cents US) is considered as sharing in the expense. Alternately the host can gift a share of the expenses to the traveler.     

However if his wife did light at home, thereby covering the requirement of the household, he is neither required to contribute to the host’s oil or candles nor light himself because the lighting of his wife is considered as his own lighting (Mishna Berurah 677:2).   

Second View – Personal Aspect

Even according to this aspect the traveler is not required to light his own candles because he is covered either by the host or his family as explained above. In any event he fulfills the personal aspect by seeing the candles of his host and answering Amen to his blessings (Mishna Berurah 677:16).    

Separate Entrance

The Shulchan Aruch (677:1) writes that if the traveler has a separate entrance he should light according to both views, lest people suspect the dweller at this entrance of not lighting. 

Halacha – Current Practice

The Rema (ibid. 677:1) notes that according to the current custom the traveler should light his own candles and recite the blessings because in Talmudic times people would light outdoors hence one set of candles per household (i.e. household aspect). However in the time of the Rema most people lit indoors, thereby each adult lights for himself emphasizing the personal aspect.  

The Yalkut Yosef (677:3 – note 83) remarks that a guest it a hotel is not covered by the lighting of the owner of the hotel because the guest has separate living quarters with a lock. In addition most hotel owners do not reside full time in the hotel.   

Conclusion

This article focused on the two aspects of the Hanukkah candles namely household and personal. The former aspect means that one lighting per household covers the entire family even if some are not at home. The latter aspect means that one must at least see the candles to recall the miracle of Hanukkah even if his family lit on his behalf. These aspects are debated in Halacha. According to one view, the household aspect is primary and the personal aspect applies only when the former aspect cannot be fulfilled (e.g. traveling on a train). According to the other view, the personal aspect is independent of the former aspect meaning that one must fulfill both of them.       

This debate applies to many situations of travel (e.g. on a train, in a hotel, camping, difference in time zone) as analyzed above. In addition to the details in Halacha one must not forget the message of Hanukkah as Maimonides writes (Laws of Hanukkah 4:12),” The mitzvah of kindling Chanukah lamps is very dear. A person should be very careful in its observance to publicize the miracle and thus increase our praise of Hashem and our expression of thanks for the miracles which He wrought on our behalf.”