Jewish History

Get Lit: All About Hanukkah Candles

Emmett
August 10, 2023

Nothing is more symbolic of Hanukkah than lighting candles, but with so many options and customs in different homes and communities the world over, nothing should be taken as obvious.

Here’s a rundown of some FAQs around Hanukkah candle lighting, so that you can go into Hanukkah 2022 ready to brighten your December.

Hanukkah lasts a total of 8 days, and on each evening one lights an extra candle so by the end of the holiday the menorah should have 8 flames.

In the original history, the Jewish liberators of Jerusalem rededicated the Holy Temple that had been desecrated with Greek pagan practices. The process for this needed to last a week, but there was only one day’s worth of oil pure enough for the Holy Temple, and miraculously it burnt for 8 days, the time needed for new oil to be produced.

Now Jews around the world light a Hanukkah menorah, an 8-branched Jewish candle holder. The Hanukkah candle’s meaning is to remember the miracle that happened to allow the Holy Temple to be redacted for Jewish temple service.

Do You Use New Candles Each Night of Hanukkah?

Remember that the lighting of Hanukkah candles is a commandment, or ‘mitzvah’ in Hebrew, so special care should be given to them over the candles on a birthday cake, for example.

It is proper to let the candles from each night burn out completely. In a normal situation, therefore, it will end up being 44 candles per wax-candle menorah.

If a candle goes out with some amount left for whatever reason, however, then it still may not be ideal to use because all the flames for each night should start burning from an even height, and should last for no fewer than 30 minutes.

With oil menorahs on the other hand, if you can add a new wick and simply top up the amount of oil as necessary, any leftover oil should be used and not go to waste, but with prefilled ones it's less hassle to use a new one at a uniform height. Likewise, it is best to set aside the special oil meant for a mitzvah it isn’t used for cooking. You can even save any remainder for the next year.

The shamash used to ignite the rest can in principle be any length so you can reuse a previous night’s candle stub for that if you don’t know what else to do with it.

Do Menorah Candles Have to be a Certain Color?

There are no specific Hanukkah candle colors necessary for the menorah, so there is plenty of room for personal preference. Many wax candles come in lots of spiraling colors, and some people like to use solid ones.

Blue and white together have certain traditional meanings in Judaism, but no matter what you use, it is always best to make a mitzvah as beautiful as possible.

It is completely acceptable if each candle on the menorah is a different color, and you can change them up night-to-night as well.

What Do You Say When You Light Hanukkah Candles?

We’ve got another blog specifically dedicated to the blessings one says over the menorah, but very quickly here’s a rundown:

All of these blessings will be found in a standard prayer book or Hanukkah pamphlet.

Hanukkah candle lighting begins at sundown 30 minutes before nightfall, which for Hanukkah 2022 starts December 18th. Before Shabbat, Hanukkah candles are lit just before the Shabbat candles, and likewise are lit after Havdalah once Shabbat ends.

On the first night, say:

Baruch atah Ad•hnai El•haynu melech ha-olam, asher kideshahnu bemitzvohtahv vitzeevanu lihhahdleek nair (shel) chanukah

Blessed are You, L-rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to light the Chanukah candle.

Baruch atah Ad•hnai El•haynu melech ha-olam, she’asah neesim la’avotainu ba’yamin hahaim bizman hazeh

Blessed are You, L-rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days, at this time.

Baruch atah Ad•hnai El•haynu melech ha-olam, shehecheyanu vikimanu vehigeeanu, lizman hazeh*

Blessed are You, L-rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.*

*After the first night, only say the first two blessings before lighting candles.

Once the lighting of candles is complete, there are many customary songs people sing.

In What Order Do You Light Hanukkah Candles?

The number of Hanukkah candles on the menorah corresponds to the night of Hanukkah it is. The order of lighting Hanukkah candles should start from right to left but light the candles from left to right, meaning you are lighting the newest candle first.

This is to symbolize that we aspire to bring increasing brightness and that the miracle that happened each day merits special recognition.

If you are able, it is best to make the lighting of the Hanukkah candles as public as possible, so many use special cases or nail-up menorahs to use the menorah outside, or to light in front of a window.

It is ideal to light with the entire household assembled together, to remember the miracles, and to join in on the joy and singing of the evening. Many sing Ma'oz Tzur, a traditional Hanukkah song, and they may also give each other Hanunkkah gifts or donate money to charity.

What is the Shamash Candle?

The Shamash candle, which is often the middle candle holder for Hanukkah means ‘servant’ or ‘waiter’ and should be the source of the flame to light the rest of the menorah.

It is not counted towards the total number of candles on the menorah. In order to keep the Shamash from getting confused for a regular candle on the menorah, it is kept either higher or lower than the rest of the candles on the menorah. It does not make a difference if this is kept on the side or in the middle.

If you use an oil menorah, there is still a Shamash but it won’t work to ignite the other candles. Rather light your Shamash with a match, and then take a small wax candle to transfer the fire from the Shamash to the other candles that way.

A good idea is to hold the candle as upright as possible to light the candles, so that it doesn’t drip into the oil by mistake, though one small drop won’t make a difference.

Make sure you've got everything you need to light the menorah this Hanukkah 2022 and that you have all the gifts you want to give for family and friends.