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Where do I light my menorah?

by Rabbi Naftali Silberberg

  

Library » Holidays » Chanukah » The Laws | Subscribe | What is RSS?

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A. According to Halachah, the Menorah must be kindled in your own home.1

So if you're at Uncle Bruce's Chanukah party and he asks you to light the menorah over there, you still gotta light again when you get home!

The same is true regarding the menorah which is kindled every night in the synagogue, or the public menorah lighting which your rabbi is hopefully organizing - your presence there doesn't absolve you of your obligation to light the menorah in your own home. The purpose of these menorahs is only Pirsumei Nissa (publicizing the miracle of Chanukah), but even the one lighting the menorah must rekindle his own menorah in his home.

Others have the custom of placing the menorah on a windowsill which faces the street... You should not use this option if the window is more than 30 feet above street level
Now, if you and your family are traveling and you won't be sleeping at home, then wherever you will be sleeping - hotel room, grandma's house, etc. - is considered your "home" for the night, and you must light over there.

B. The prevailing custom is to light the menorah in a doorway, near the doorpost which is opposite the Mezuzah. This way, the one who walks through the door is surrounded by Mitzvahs - the Mezuzah on the right side, and the Menorah to the left.2

It is best for the menorah to be anywhere between 12 and 40 inches off the ground3 - so most people light the menorah on a chair or low stool.

It makes no difference which doorway you use to light the menorah, but it should be a central area in the house, this way the Mitzvah receives maximum exposure.

Others have the custom of placing the menorah on a windowsill which faces the street4. You should not use this option if the window is more than 30 feet above street level.5

Footnotes

  • 1. Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 139:19
  • 2. Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 139:7
  • 3. Ibid 139:8
  • 4. Ibid 139:7
  • 5. Ibid 139:8

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Mitzvah
(pl. Mitzvot). A commandment from G-d. Mitzvah also means a connection, for a Jew connects with G–d through fulfilling His commandments.
Halachah
Jewish Law. All halachah which is applicable today is found in the Code of Jewish Law.
Chanukah
An eight day mid-winter holiday marking: 1) The miraculous defeat of the mighty Syrian-Greek armies by the undermanned Maccabis in the year 140 BCE. 2) Upon their victory, the oil in the Menorah, sufficient fuel for one night only, burned for eight days and nights.
Mezuzah
A rolled up scroll containing certain verses from the Torah which is affixed to the right-hand doorpost of doorways in a Jewish home.
Menorah
Candelabra. Usually a reference to the nine-branched candelabra kindled on the holiday of Chanukah.