How to light the Menorah

 

What menorah to light
I. To publicize which night of Hanukah it is, the menorah must easily display how many candles have been lit. Therefore, all 8 candle holders on the menorah should be at the same height -- and preferably in a straight line. Otherwise, the candles may not be easily distinguishable and may appear as more like "one big torch."

II. In addition to the main 8 lights, each Menorah has an extra helper candle called the "Shamash" (the taller helper candle which is used to light the Menorah). Since we are forbidden to use the Hanukah lights for any purpose other than viewing, this way any benefit is as if coming from the Shamash.

III. The Shamash does not count as one of the regular 8 lights, your Menorah should have the Shamash set apart in some way -- either placed higher than the other candles, or significantly off to the side.

What candles to light
I. The most important thing is that your candles must burn for at least 30 minutes after nightfall. (Those famous colored candles just barely qualify) Many Jewish bookstores sell longer colored candles.

II. Actually, it is even better to use olive oil -- since the miracle of the Maccabees occurred with olive oil. Many Jewish bookstores even sell kits of pre-measured oil portions in disposable cups. These cups can simply be placed in the candle holders of any standard menorah.

Where to light
I. To best publicize the miracle, the Menorah should be lit in a window facing the public thoroughfare.

II. If for some reason the Menorah cannot be lit by the window, it may be lit inside the house on a table; this at least fulfills the good-deed of "publicizing the miracle" for the members of the household.

III. Since the good-deed occurs at the actual moment of lighting, the Menorah must be lit in a proper place. Moving the Menorah to a proper place after lighting does not fulfill the good-deed.

When to light
I. The Menorah should preferably be lit immediately at nightfall. It is best to wait, until all the
members of the household are present. This adds to the family atmosphere and also maximizes the good-deed of "publicizing the miracle". However, the Menorah can be lit late into the night, as long as people are still awake.

II. The Menorah should remain lit for at least 30 minutes after nightfall, during which time no use should be made of its light.

III. On Friday afternoon, the Menorah should be lit 18 minutes before sundown. And since the Menorah needs to burn for 30 minutes into the night, the candles used on Friday need to be bigger than the regular "colored candles" (which typically don't burn longer than a half-hour).

 

Each family member lighting should recite the blessings.
If there is one adult lighting, the rest of the family should watch & listen to the blessings and respond "amen" after each blessing.

Getting ready...

We first light the Shamash. (the tall candle which is used to light the Menorah)
Then we recite the two blessings. (On the first night we recite three blessings)

Then we conclude each night with a final paragraph.