Laws of Chanukah for Women - Rabbi Menachem Mendel Harel shlita

00:02 Speaker 1 You’re listening to “Lema’an Yishme’u,” a podcast of Machon Halacha Chabad.

00:09 Speaker 2 Chanukah, alongside its general meaning for all of the Jewish people as a festival of light, has a special meaning for women. As the Rebbe always emphasizes, we keep adding light until we illuminate the entire world. That is what we do when we light the Chanukah menorah: we begin with one candle, and by the end of Chanukah the entire menorah is shining. How much more so with spiritual light. A person begins by kindling “the candle of Hashem, the soul of man” from where he is, in his own circumstances. That light keeps spreading, illuminating the whole world, until the entire menorah shines in its fullness—with the light of the true and complete Geulah. Hakadosh Boruch Hu will shine and be revealed here in this world: “The glory of Hashem will be revealed, and all flesh together will see that the mouth of Hashem has spoken.” The revelation of G-dliness will be seen throughout the world. Alongside this general meaning, Chanukah has a particular significance for women, because our Sages, of blessed memory, point out that the miracle of Chanukah came about through a woman. That is why women have the custom of refraining from work while the Chanukah candles are burning, during the first half hour required for the mitzvah. We’ll come back to what it means to refrain from work. But when we speak about work, we need to know that it means actual labor. Baking, frying sufganiyos or latkes, or preparing dinner, on the other hand, are permitted even during the first half hour that the Chanukah candles are burning. More generally, the days of Chanukah are an auspicious time to draw Divine light down upon a person, so that the light of “the candle of Hashem, the soul of man” shines within him with greater strength and intensity. It begins with the custom of looking at the Chanukah candles. As the Rebbe points out, we should look and see what the Chanukah candles are telling us. At the same time, we need to remember that the time itself is holy, so we must be very careful not to waste the time we spend sitting by the candles

03:00 Speaker 2 or, more generally, not to waste the nights of Chanukah. For us chassidim, that generally isn’t a question: we’re busy with mivtzoim, bringing light to cities, to neighbors and acquaintances, to soldiers, to elderly people, to hospitals, and so on. But sometimes, because we light the Chanukah candles early—as we’ll mention shortly, they should be lit on time, right at sunset—the night is long, with many hours ahead of us. Sometimes people occupy themselves with trivial things. There were strong warnings against doing that on Chanukah nights, particularly against games—card games or other games that are simply a waste of time. Sometimes these involve laziness, or, G-d forbid, things associated with idol worship. We must be very, very careful: at a time when we should be drawing light and purity into the soul, we must not, G-d forbid, be drawn toward other things or draw them upon ourselves. So our activities around the Chanukah candles should be positive and connected to the lighting. Of course, we can play with the children. There is a Jewish custom to play dreidel. And there is the matter we’ll discuss shortly, Chanukah gelt. In general, we should remember that Chanukah is related to the word chinuch, education: educating the children and the members of the household, including the older, married children who come with their spouses and, with Hashem’s help, with the grandchildren too. Chanukah is a good time, a time for education and renewal in everything connected with light, holiness, and the Divine sweetness and delight found in knowing and engaging in Hashem’s mitzvos. The mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles applies to every home: a Chanukah candle should be lit in each home. In the usual situation, where, thank G-d, there is a father, a mother, and a household, the primary mitzvah is, of course, for the father to light the Chanukah

05:46 Speaker 2 candles. But if, for some reason, the woman is on her own—whether for a good reason, such as her husband having traveled to the Rebbe, or because he is busy with mivtzoim until very late at night, or for some other reason—she too is obligated to light Chanukah candles in her home. The main thing is to light them in the home where one is staying, eating, and sleeping that night. Ideally, one should be very careful not to get into questions about lighting Chanukah candles when traveling from place to place that night, or after the time for lighting. So the best and proper course is to light Chanukah candles at home in an orderly way. Our custom is that a woman recites a blessing even for a time-bound positive mitzvah. Accordingly, when a woman lights Chanukah candles, she lights with the blessings, as we’ll discuss later. On the first night, there are three blessings: Lehadlik Ner Chanukah, She’asah Nissim, and Shehecheyanu. On the remaining nights, there are two: Lehadlik Ner Chanukah and She’asah Nissim. A woman who is a guest—say she has traveled to the Rebbe, or she is studying in Israel and staying with a family—participates in the head of the household’s Chanukah lighting. Of course, if she has a room of her own, she needs to light in the room where she is staying. The mitzvah is to light the Chanukah candle at a doorway. Our custom is to light at one of the doorways between the rooms of the home, not at the outside entrance, in a place where one can sit near the candles for the first half hour. Neither the basic law nor our custom requires a particular design for the menorah. People call it a chanukiyah, though that isn’t really its name. Its name is a menorah, a Chanukah menorah. “Chanukiyah” is simply the name given to it in modern Hebrew; its real name is a menorah. The Chanukah menorah, the Chanukah candle, should be placed opposite the mezuzah: the mezuzah on the right and the Chanukah candle

08:30 Speaker 2 on the left. When a person lights the Chanukah candle, he is surrounded by mitzvos: the mezuzah on his right and the Chanukah candle on his left. He is entirely surrounded by mitzvos as he stands in the doorway. The height for lighting the menorah is between three and ten tefachim. In other words, the minimum height is three tefachim, or twenty-four centimeters, and the upper end is ten tefachim, or eighty centimeters. According to the basic law, it may also be placed higher, up to twenty amos, but our custom is to place the Chanukah menorah between three and ten tefachim high—between twenty-four and eighty centimeters. What matters with the menorah is that the candles should all be at the same height—not one higher and one lower, one set forward and one set back. It should not be a menorah with the candles arranged in a circle, but a straight menorah. If someone wants to use a more beautiful, finer menorah out of love for the mitzvah and to beautify it, all the better: it is a beautiful vessel. If one wants a menorah modeled on the menorah of the Beis Hamikdash, that is certainly fitting and good. Just remember that, as the Rebbe explains, the branches of the Beis Hamikdash menorah extended diagonally in straight lines, as the Rambam drew them in his illustration of the menorah. Of course, a Chanukah menorah has nine branches: one for each of the eight days, and a shamash above them, higher than the other candles. When preparing the menorah for lighting, on the first night we light the candle on the right, the rightmost candle. On the second night, we add another candle beside it and light from left to right. We keep adding a candle: the first candle is on the right, the second to its left, and we always begin lighting with the new candle. So on the first night we light the candle on the right, and on the second night we light from left to right. According to the basic law, all oils are suitable for Chanukah candles. Today, thank G-d, there is an abundance of oils, including oil

11:23 Speaker 2 Olive oil is very common. There is oil on the market called “olive oil for lighting.” It is important to know that this oil is less preferable. Ideally, one should use olive oil that is fit for eating. If that is not possible, one may use olive oil for lighting. If, for some reason, no oil is available, it is preferable to light a wax candle. Otherwise, the ordinary candles available today, called paraffin candles, are also fine, whether white or colored. What one must pay close attention to, as we will discuss later, is that they contain enough material to burn for the required time. If one lights at sunset, the candles must burn until nightfall. That means fifty minutes, and sometimes the candles are too small. So one must choose candles with enough fuel to be able to recite the blessing over the lighting. Our Sages said, “The lighting fulfills the mitzvah.” In other words, the mitzvah is fulfilled when the Chanukah candles are lit, so at that very moment there must be enough oil for the required time. If one lights a Chanukah candle with only a little oil, or uses a very small candle that cannot burn for the required time, that calls the entire lighting into question. Therefore, before lighting the Chanukah candles, one must check that there is enough oil for them to burn. Ideally, the required time is fifty minutes from lighting. On Erev Shabbos, of course, the Chanukah candles are lit before the Shabbos candles, and one must make sure there is enough oil for them to burn until half an hour after nightfall. That means enough oil for roughly an hour or more. It is worth noting that the oil cups generally sold today contain enough for several hours, so if the cup is full of oil, there is

14:00 Speaker 2 no problem, either on a weekday or on Erev Shabbos. As we said, the most recommended oil is olive oil fit for eating. Ideally, the wicks should be made of cotton. One can generally buy ready-made wicks, which are properly made and rolled and burn well. But if, for some reason, a person cannot obtain ready-made wicks, ideally one should take cotton and roll it into a wick. If cotton is unavailable, one may use any other material that can burn with the oil. The oil in the cups has been designated for the mitzvah, so leftover oil from them cannot be used for food, frying, or the like. But which leftover oil cannot be used? Specifically, the oil left in the cups. What remains in the bottle is not considered designated for the mitzvah. So if we bought fine olive oil that is also fit for eating and poured some into the cups, and now we want to fry something or add oil to another food, but there is no other oil in the house—only the oil left in the bottle we bought for the Chanukah candles—there is no problem using the oil in the bottle. Why? Because only the oil in the cups is considered designated for the mitzvah. The oil in the bottle is not included and may also be used for ordinary purposes. Our custom is to light the candles with the shamash. In some places, the custom is to put olive oil in a cup for the shamash as well, and to light the candles and then the shamash with another candle. Our custom differs: we light the candles with the shamash, which is a wax candle, and then place it a little higher than the other candles. Interestingly, the Rebbe also spoke about placing a shamash even when candles are lit during the day to publicize the miracle, even if an electric menorah or the like is used.

16:47 Speaker 2 Therefore, if one is in a shul or at a children’s gathering where a menorah is lit to publicize the miracle, the shamash is lit along with it. Of course, there is no blessing: a blessing is recited only when lighting in shul between Mincha and Maariv, or at a public lighting and the like at night. During the day, no blessing is recited over the lighting. Nevertheless, the shamash is lit together with the candles. Our Sages established a time for lighting the Chanukah candles. The mitzvah of the Chanukah candle begins at sunset, and as we mentioned, the Chanukah candles should be lit promptly at that time. So that a person does not forget, it was established that one should not sit down to a meal or eat a substantial meal before lighting the Chanukah candles. In general, women fulfill their obligation by being present when their husband or father lights. But in any case, a woman who is obligated to light, as we discussed earlier, must certainly also be careful not to do the things prohibited before lighting Chanukah candles. Even if she is not obligated to light, it is proper for her to refrain from those things before the Chanukah candles are lit. One should not arrange to study with a study partner at the time one must light Chanukah candles, lest one become absorbed in learning. Likewise, a girl might become absorbed in her learning and forget to light. One may not go to sleep, even for a short nap, before lighting Chanukah candles, lest one forget to light. If a woman or man who needs to light Chanukah candles cannot do so at the proper time, there is something called a shomer: appointing another person to remind them at a specified time, “Light the Chanukah candles.” When there is a shomer, that reminder makes it possible to engage in other activities before lighting. But one must remember that

19:20 Speaker 2 a shomer is not the ideal arrangement; it is a fallback. Ideally, as we said earlier, one should light the Chanukah candles on time—that is, at sunset. There is great importance in giving more tzedakah on Chanukah, and it greatly helps to refine the soul, particularly at the time when the Chanukah candles are lit. But if one did not do it then, throughout all the days of Chanukah there is great importance in giving tzedakah generously. We mentioned earlier the Jewish custom of playing with a dreidel, whose letters refer to the great miracle that happened there in Jerusalem. It reminds us of the miracles that Hakadosh Boruch Hu performed and continues to perform for us. The Rebbe encourages holding farbrengens on Chanukah and, more generally, publicizing the miracle through the Chanukah campaign, increasing our efforts each day. Not a single Jew should be left out of the Chanukah campaign. We need to work on this ahead of time and as early as possible, on the greatest and most energetic scale, so that everyone can participate and be part of it. Giving Chanukah gelt is also part of educating children. We give it to them to make the occasion—the festival, if we can call it that—dear to them, and to bring them closer to mitzvos. At the same time, we explain that the Chanukah gelt is theirs to use as they wish, but of course they should remember to do good things with it, especially to set aside tzedakah, maaser, and so on. In other words, we educate them in a mitzvah they will learn to do themselves, with their own money and with their own particular enthusiasm. Let us now discuss the order of lighting. As we mentioned earlier, one stands facing the menorah, which is on the left side of the doorway, holds the shamash in the right hand, and on the first night recites three blessings: “To light the Chanukah candle,” “Who performed miracles for our ancestors,” and Shehecheyanu. Immediately after the blessings—not during them—one lights the

21:41 Speaker 2 Chanukah candles. After finishing lighting the Chanukah candles and seeing that the flame has caught, we begin singing the special tune for “Haneiros Halalu,” as is our custom. One may not speak between the blessing and the lighting. However, if something happens that makes it impossible to light without speaking—for example, the candle or the shamash goes out, there are no matches, and you need to ask one of the children to bring a match—that is permitted. Something necessary for the lighting is not considered an interruption. But if someone speaks about something unrelated to the lighting, that creates an interruption, and the blessing must be recited again before lighting. We need to be very careful about this. A blessing in vain is a very serious matter, so we must do everything possible to avoid entering into such a difficult question. On the remaining nights, we recite only two blessings: “Lehadlik Ner Chanukah” and “She’asah Nissim Laavoseinu.” A woman who, for whatever reason, did not light on the first night and did not participate in a lighting should also recite Shehecheyanu on the first night she lights. Let me give an example of something that happened. For some reason, a woman missed the first night of Chanukah. She had misunderstood the calendar and thought the first candle was lit on the second night. Suppose the first Chanukah candle was to be lit on Sunday night. She looked at the calendar, saw 25 Kislev, and thought they would light the first candle on the night following the 25th. But in fact, the first candle is lit at the start of 25 Kislev—that is, on the night between the 24th and the 25th. [unclear] It happens; people make mistakes. In the morning, she calls a friend, who asks, “How was the Chanukah lighting last night?” She says, “Last night? We light tonight, don’t we?” Her friend then tells her, “Tonight we’re already lighting the second candle. We lit the first one

24:04 Speaker 2 last night.” All right, tonight will be her first time lighting. How many candles does she light? She lights two, like everyone else. She does not start with one; she starts with two candles. And because this is her first time lighting, she also recites Shehecheyanu over the lighting. It is important to point out something very significant: a person, man or woman, who participated in a Chanukah lighting somewhere they are not obligated to light—for example, at a synagogue, at a public lighting in the street, or at any other public lighting for pirsumei nisa—has not fulfilled the obligation, even if they answered amen to the blessings. They remain obligated to light at home, as we said, because the mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles is performed in the home where a person eats and sleeps. So seeing and participating in a lighting somewhere they are not obligated to light is neither sufficient nor effective in fulfilling their obligation. Likewise, if women who live alone have neighbors or friends who invite them to join their Chanukah lighting, it is certainly a great mitzvah to bring joy to people for whom living alone is difficult. It is important and good. At the same time, we need to remember to tell them that participating in the lighting in our home has not fulfilled their obligation. They must go and light in their own homes, properly and in accordance with halachah, as we have discussed until now. If a man travels to the Rebbe and his wife remains at home, she lights at home, as we said earlier, because she is obligated to light there. The husband should have in mind not to fulfill his obligation through his wife’s lighting at home, and should light where he is staying. If a married woman travels to the Rebbe while her husband lights at home, the situation is somewhat different from what we said earlier about a woman who lives alone. The best thing for her to do is to participate in the Chanukah

26:29 Speaker 2 lighting of the household where she is staying, and perhaps give a few coins toward the cost as her share in her hosts’ lighting. But if she has nowhere to participate in a Chanukah lighting—if she rented a room on her own, for example—then, because of the time differences between countries, particularly between Eretz Yisroel and the United States or other places around the world, and because the poskim disagree about whether she fulfills her obligation through her husband’s lighting in the situation we are discussing, she should light Chanukah candles without reciting a blessing. If the husband has gone out and will not return until very late at night, the wife may light the menorah herself and recite the blessings. This is particularly relevant when there are young children. The whole point of lighting Chanukah candles is to publicize the miracle to the members of the household. Sometimes the husband needs to go out and will return very late, so he cannot be home at lighting time. In that case, it is certainly very important that the wife light the menorah with the blessings and that the children take part in the lighting. Part of Chanukah is the meals we have in order to increase our thanks and praise to Hashem for the miracles He performed for us in those days, at this time. When Chanukah meals are held for that purpose, they are considered seudos mitzvah. It is customary to eat foods made with oil, because the miracle involved oil—pure olive oil. It is also customary to eat dairy foods, because a miracle was brought about through milk and cheese. So there is certainly reason to have more of these meals on Chanukah. In particular, the Rebbe spoke with great affection about using Chanukah as a time to bring family members together. The Rebbe said that among our Rebbeim, there was a custom to gather on one night, around the fourth or fifth candle, for an evening called a latke evening—today it is called an evening of potato pancakes. They would sit together, talk about Chanukah, tell stories, and give everyone Chanukah gelt. At the same time, the Rebbe urged that Chanukah gelt be given every night, with the amount increasing, and the Rebbe himself set a living example of this. So certainly, when it comes to the warmth of these gatherings and meals, especially nowadays, in addition to the custom of the Jewish people as a whole, we have a special instruction from the Rebbe. The Rebbe also urged that children’s gatherings be held on Chanukah. It is therefore very important to arrange gatherings that bring boys and girls together, of course in a modest manner, to tell them about the miracles Hakadosh Boruch Hu performed and continues to perform for us, and to inspire and strengthen everyone in all matters connected with educating Jewish boys and girls to observe Torah and mitzvos. The Rebbe strongly encouraged children to light Chanukah candles too, and asked that they light at the entrance to their rooms. We should therefore give children the opportunity to light Chanukah candles. At the same time, of course, because of the obligation to protect ourselves, we must pay attention to the safety of where and how they light, and not let them do it alone, so that, G-d forbid, nothing happens that is the opposite of what Chanukah lighting is meant to accomplish. The purpose of the Chanukah candles is to illuminate the home with the light of goodness and kindness. So when we let a child light at the entrance to his room, as the Rebbe wanted, we must make sure it is done properly. In general, when we educate a child to perform a mitzvah, including the mitzvah of Chanukah candles, we should teach him to do it properly—the way we want him to do it when he grows up. That means with a blessing, in the proper manner, and so on. Regarding girls, it seemed from the Rebbe’s words that girls do not light. Later, the Rebbe was asked again

29:11 Speaker 2 It’s called a “latke evening”: people sit together, talk about Chanukah, tell stories, and give everyone Chanukah gelt. Along with that, the Rebbe encouraged giving Chanukah gelt every night, increasing the amount each night, and the Rebbe himself set a living example. So these cherished gatherings and meals are certainly significant, especially in our time. In addition to the custom observed by all of the Jewish people, we have a specific directive from the Rebbe about this. The Rebbe also encouraged children’s gatherings during Chanukah. It is therefore very important to hold gatherings that bring boys and girls together—separately, of course, in a modest manner—and tell them about the miracles Hakadosh Boruch Hu did and continues to do for us, and to inspire and strengthen our efforts to educate Jewish boys and girls to observe Torah and mitzvos. The Rebbe strongly encouraged children to light Chanukah candles too, and asked that they light them at the entrance to their rooms. So children should be given the opportunity to light Chanukah candles. At the same time, of course, because of the obligation to protect ourselves, we must pay attention to safety—both where and how they light—and not let them do it alone, so that, G-d forbid, the lighting of Chanukah candles does not lead to the opposite of its purpose. The purpose of Chanukah candles is to illuminate the home with the light of goodness and kindness. So when we let a child light at the entrance to their room, as the Rebbe wants, we must make sure it is done properly. In general, when educating a child to perform a mitzvah, including the mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles, we should teach them to do it properly—that is, the way we want them to do it when they grow up. That means saying a bracha, doing it in the proper manner, and so on. Regarding girls, the Rebbe seemed to indicate that girls do not light. Later, the Rebbe was asked again

31:38 Speaker 2 On this matter, the Rebbe said to consult a rabbi. Some say girls should not light, and some say they should. In any case, if lighting a candle will bring a girl joy, there is certainly no prohibition against her doing so, but, as mentioned, all the precautions we discussed must be observed. On Chanukah, we have special additions to the prayers. First of all, we add Ve’al Hanissim in every Amidah—Shacharis, Mincha, and Maariv—and also in bentching. Of course, it is always important to pay attention and not forget to say Ve’al Hanissim in its proper place. But if someone did forget and already said “Baruch Atah Hashem” at the end of the blessing, they should continue to the end of Shemoneh Esrei, and after the second “Yihyu Leratzon,” say, “Harachaman—may He perform miracles for us as He did for our ancestors in those days, at this time,” followed by Ve’al Hanissim, “for the deliverance,” and so on. If someone remembers before saying “Baruch Atah Hashem”—before saying Hashem’s name—they should go back and say Ve’al Hanissim, then continue praying as usual. In bentching, we say Ve’al Hanissim after Nodeh Lecha. If it was omitted, then after the Harachaman passages in bentching, as printed in the siddur, one says, “Harachaman—may He perform miracles for us as He did for our ancestors in those days, at this time,” and then says Ve’al Hanissim. Even someone who forgot Ve’al Hanissim altogether does not repeat the Amidah or bentching because of it. Every day, after Shemoneh Esrei, we say the complete Hallel with a blessing. In this respect, Chanukah is particularly significant—even more so than Pesach—and we say the complete Hallel with a blessing every day. After Hallel, those praying in shul take out a Torah scroll and read the account of the nesi’im’s dedication of the altar, beginning “On the day Moshe finished setting up the Mishkan.” Shabbos Chanukah is usually Shabbos Mevarchim; sometimes it also falls on Shabbos Rosh Chodesh, but usually

34:18 Speaker 2 Shabbos Chanukah is Shabbos Mevarchim. If it is Shabbos Rosh Chodesh, there is something special: three Torah scrolls are taken out. From the first, we read the weekly parsha; from the second, the Rosh Chodesh reading; and from the third, the Chanukah reading—that is, what we mentioned earlier, “On the day Moshe finished setting up the Mishkan,” according to the day of Chanukah. But usually it is Shabbos Mevarchim, so one should remember to say Tehillim as is customary every Shabbos Mevarchim. On Erev Shabbos, as we said earlier, we light the Chanukah candles in their place and afterward light the Shabbos candles, not the other way around. Once a woman has lit Shabbos candles, she cannot then go back and light a Chanukah candle. One must make sure there is enough oil for the candles to burn until half an hour after nightfall. In other words, there needs to be enough oil for roughly an hour or a little more. It is worth noting that the oil cups sold nowadays generally contain enough for several hours. So if a cup is full of oil, there is no problem, either on a weekday or on Erev Shabbos. As we mentioned, during the half hour spent by the candles, there is value in looking at what the candles tell us, sitting with the children, talking about the Chanukah candles, and telling their story. All this applies on weekdays and Motzaei Shabbos, but on Erev Shabbos we do not linger by the Chanukah candles. We light the Chanukah candles, then the woman lights the Shabbos candles, and we go to shul. We do not stay by the candles on Erev Shabbos. The menorah remains in its place after Shabbos begins, even once the candles have gone out. One may not move the chair holding the menorah. But if one knows in advance that the chair or stool holding the menorah should not remain where it is

36:45 Speaker 2 so that it will be possible to move it during Shabbos, then before Shabbos begins, one should place an important sefer or a challah on the stool beside the menorah, and leave it there as Shabbos begins. That way, afterward, one can move the stand or chair from its current place without running into the problem of muktzeh—a base for a prohibited object. If she forgot, then moving that chair from its place really is a problem. If one forgot, though, there is a way to move it in an unusual manner—for example, dragging the chair with the back of one’s hand or carefully moving it with one’s foot. But the best thing is to remember to do it properly from the outset, so as not to get into unnecessary questions or complications. Our custom is to light the Chanukah candles at sunset, between Mincha and Maariv. In general, it is very important that a woman going out on mivtzoim first light, or participate in the lighting, at home, and only then go out on mivtzoim, because that is the preferred time to fulfill the mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles. But if, for some reason, people left home earlier and the whole household went out, then of course they should return home and light the Chanukah candles together. If it is a girl or young woman living in her parents’ home, then even if she went out while they stayed home and lit, she has fulfilled her obligation through her father’s lighting. The mitzvah has been fulfilled for her, and she does not need to light again. But if it is a woman living alone for one of the reasons we mentioned earlier, whatever the circumstances, she should return home and light a Chanukah candle with a blessing, since the mitzvah is for a Chanukah candle to be lit in every home. The halachic authorities write that if a woman arrives home by midnight, she may light

39:34 Speaker 2 with a blessing. After that, she should light, but without a blessing. As mentioned, though, the best and proper thing is to light the Chanukah candles at sunset, sit by them for half an hour, and then go out on mivtzoim. On Chanukah, there is a good problem. Why do I call it a good problem? Because on the one hand it is a problem, but on the other hand it is a good thing. It is customary to travel to visit one’s parents and celebrate with them. As is also known—and we will discuss this later—our Rebbeim would hold a gathering for all the family on the fourth or fifth night of Chanukah. Everyone would come, including the sons-in-law and daughters-in-law, and receive Chanukah gelt. What is the problem? The problem is where to light the Chanukah candles. Ideally, as we said earlier, the mitzvah is to light in the home where one eats and sleeps, the home where one regularly eats. But now a person is traveling with the whole family to visit the parents, and the question is: where should they light? They leave early and return late at night. What should they do? In truth, the best thing would be to wait until sunset, light the Chanukah candles at home, and then travel. That is best, especially in winter. Sunset comes very early during Chanukah. One can light the Chanukah candles right on time and then travel. Nowadays, most places in the country are fairly close by car, but sometimes that does not work out. They have to leave early and come back late. Based on experience, and on what the halachic authorities write about lighting Chanukah candles, the best suggestion is to light in the home where they are guests, provided they eat a proper meal there. That is the way to fulfill the obligation of lighting Chanukah candles: in the home where they are guests that night and eat a proper meal. And why do I say “based on experience” as well? Because sometimes people make a calculation: Fine, we’ll light the Chanukah candles at our own home, but we’ll be getting back very late.

41:52 Speaker 2 So they start planning a short visit, and then it turns into a whole commotion. They end up spending the entire night on the road, and by the time they get home, no one has any energy. Sometimes they arrive after dawn and have missed lighting Chanukah candles with a bracha for one night. So the advice is to do one of two things: either light Chanukah candles at home and then go to the parents—that is one option, and the best one—or eat a proper meal, with washing for bread, in the home where they are visiting that night, and light Chanukah candles there. As we said earlier, the lighting is what fulfills the mitzvah, so the lighting must take place where the menorah will remain for half an hour, the required time for the mitzvah. But if, for example, G-d forbid, the husband is ill and bedridden, cannot get out of bed, and cannot reach the doorway of the room to light, then in that situation they may bring him the menorah to light beside his bed, and afterward take it and put it in its place. The candles must remain in their place for the required duration of the lighting. As mentioned, our custom is for the candles to burn from sunset until nightfall, which is approximately fifty minutes. Our custom is that even if one lights later, after sunset, there should always be enough oil for fifty minutes. By the letter of the law, when lighting the menorah at nightfall, enough oil for half an hour is sufficient. Our custom is for the candles to burn for fifty minutes, whether one lights at sunset or later. After those fifty minutes, the menorah may be moved from its place. Suppose it is in a doorway, and the doorway is narrow and it gets in the way. Once the required time has passed, the menorah may be moved elsewhere. During those fifty minutes, of course, the menorah should not be moved. As we said, that is the time of the mitzvah, and therefore it should not be moved during that time.