Jewish Holidays

Jewish women have preserved a special custom to refrain from working while the Ĥanuka candles are burning. Some women do not work the entire holiday, especially on the first and eighth days

One should try to gather the entire family for candle lighting, so that everyone can hear the berakhot, answer “amen,” and witness the lighting.

The Sages prescribed that we recite two berakhot before lighting the Ĥanuka candles, so that we focus on the two aspects of the mitzva. Immediately following the berakhot, one begins lighting the candles, without talking between completing the berakhot and beginning to light.

According to Sephardic tradition, the main way of beautifying the mitzva is to light the number of candles that corresponds to the current day of Ĥanuka.

There are two levels of mitzva observance: fulfillment of the basic obligation and mehadrin, going beyond the basics to beautify the mitzva.

The Sages ordained lighting candles all eight days of Ĥanuka, which correspond to the days on which the Jewish people celebrated and praised God for helping them defeat the Greeks.

According to Ashkenazic custom, each member of a household must light his own candles in order to fulfill the custom of mehadrin min ha-mehadrin.

Even though one is not obligated to prepare festive meals on Ĥanuka, many poskim maintain that one fulfills a mitzva by partaking in festive meals, in order to rejoice over the salvation that God performed for the Jews “in those days, at this time.”

Does one fulfill the mitzva of lighting Ĥanuka candles with electric bulbs?

One may use any type of oil or wick for the Ĥanuka candles, including those that are unusable for Shabbat candles.The more beautifully the candle burns, the more beautiful the mitzva is, because the miracle is publicized more effectively.