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DonateWhere is one to light the candles if he is eating by a friend or relative on one of the nights of Chanukah?
Table of Contents
Where is one to light the candles if he is eating by a friend or relative on one of the nights of Chanukah?
A. One’s family remained home:[1]
If an individual happens to be eating out on one of the nights of Chanukah, he must return home to his family to light [prior to the continuing the meal[2]], and cannot light where he is eating.[3] [The same applies if he will be eating elsewhere for all eight days/nights of Chanukah, but will return home to sleep, that he is to return home to light, being that he does not eat in the other place on a steady basis.[4] Accordingly, those who are eating out during one of the nights of Chanukah are to first light the candles at home prior to going to the meal. Those who choose to light the candles in the area of the meal, are making a mistake.[5] In the event that one traveled from far, and cannot go back home before the meal, he must appoint a Shomer to allow him to eat, and he may then continue the meal and light candles after returning home.[6]]
Having one’s wife light one one’s behalf:[7] If one is eating out on one of the nights of Chanukah but his wife remained home, he can have his wife light for him at his home, if he desires to remain eating by his friend and not return home to light. [Thus, those who go to a men’s only Chanukah party/meal, may remain by the meal and have their wives light on their behalf.] Nevertheless, it is best for him to return home and personally light the candles, rather than rely on his wife.[8]
B. One is eating out with his family:
If a family [husband/wife/kids] is eating out by another family on one of the nights of Chanukah [i.e. went to a relative for a Chanukah meal], it is questionable as to where he is to light the candles, and if he may light by his area of eating or must light upon his return home. From some Poskim[9] it appears that he may choose to light candles in his current area, where his family is eating.[10] However, from other Poskim[11] it is implied that he must return home to light. [Practically, he should go back home with all, or at least some, of his family members, and light at home prior to continuing the meal.[12] In the event that one traveled from far, and cannot go back home before the meal, he must appoint a Shomer to allow him to eat, and he may then continue the meal and light candles after returning home.[13]]
Summary: If one is eating away from home for one night of Chanukah, he must return home to his family to light prior to starting the meal. In the event that one traveled from far, and cannot go back home before the meal, he must appoint a Shomer to allow him to eat, and he may then continue the meal, and light candles after returning home, or alternatively, ask his wife who has stayed home to light on his behalf.
Q&A If one who lives alone [no wife and children] is eating out by a friend on one of the nights of Chanukah, where is he to light candles, by his area of eating or upon his return home? This follows the same dispute, and ruling, of the previous Q&A, and he is thus to return home prior to the meal in order to light, or appoint a Shomer to remind him, in which case he may light after the meal, upon returning home.[14] |
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[1] M”A 677:7; Taz 677:2; Kneses Hagedola 677; Bach 677; Elya Raba 677:3; M”B 677:12; Kaf Hachaim 677:21; Minchas Yitzchak 7:48; Piskeiy Teshuvos 677:4
[2] See Halacha 6 that it is forbidden to eat or continue a meal, do work, or even learn Torah, until the candles are lit.
[3] The reason: As although today there is no Chashad towards the public if he lights by his friend’s house, as they assume one lights inside his house, there is Chashad towards his family, who does not see him lighting at home. [Bach ibid; Kaf Hachaim ibid] Alternatively, the reason is because the entire Mitzvah of lighting is to take place in one’s home, thus creating the entire law of a guest explained in Halacha 3, and being that one does not eat here on a steady basis, it is not considered his home, and he thus may not light there. Lighting by the meal would be similar to one who is lighting the candles in middle of the street, which of course has no relevance to the Mitzvah. [Taz ibid]
[4] Implication of Peri Chadash 677; Kaf Hachaim 677:15; Piskeiy Teshuvos 677 footnote 21 and 24
[5] Taz ibid
[6] See Halacha 6 in Q&A
[7] Poskim ibid
[8] The reason: As Mitzvah Bo Yoser Mibeshlucho. [M”A ibid]
[9] Implication of Bach ibid and so learns Kinyan Torah 5:72 in Taz and M”A ibid; See Peri Chadash 677; Biur Halacha 677:1 “Bemikom Sheochel”; Kaf Hachaim 677:17; See Minchas Yitzchak 7:48; Piskeiy Teshuvos 677:4 footnote 25 and 29-30; Az Nidaru 7:69
[10] The reason: As the entire objection of the Bach ibid against lighting by his temporary meal area is simply due to Chashad of one’s family, who has remained home. However, here, that one’s family is with him and sees that he lit the candles, there is no Chashad is applicable. Accordingly, there is no obligation for one to light candles in his actual home, but simply that he light candles somewhere where Chashad is not relevant. Alternatively, one can say that when one eats in a new area, then that area becomes his temporary home, and he is able to light candles there. Vetzaruch Iyun!
[11] Possible way of learning Taz 677:2 and M”A 677:7 [Taz ibid implies that the entire Mitzvah of lighting is to light in one’s home, and being that one does not eat here on a steady basis, it is not considered his home, and he thus may not light there. In his words “Lighting by the meal would be similar to one who is lighting the candles in middle of the street, which of course has no relevance to the Mitzvah.”]; Possible implication of Peri Chadash 677; Biur Halacha 677:1 “Bemikom Sheochel”; Kaf Hachaim 677:17 that only when one is eating and sleeping elsewhere with his family may one light elsewhere; See Piskeiy Teshuvos ibid who leans to rule like this understanding, although, in truth, it is possible to understand the Taz to only be referring to a case that one left his family at home, in which case Chazal established the lighting to be done at home. If, however, he is with his family elsewhere, then he may light where they are. Vetzaruch Iyun!
[12] Minchas Yitzchak ibid; Piskeiy Teshuvos ibid
[13] See Halacha 6 in Q&A
[14] The reason: As the entire objection of the Bach ibid against lighting by his temporary meal area is simply due to Chashad of one’s family, who has remained home. However, here, that one has no family at home, there is no Chashad is applicable. Accordingly, there is no obligation for one to light candles in his actual home, but simply that he light candles somewhere where Chashad is not relevant. However, according to the Taz ibid, there is an actual obligation to light in one’s home, and an area of temporary meal is not one’s home.
Situation | Requirement | Alternative Options | Notes |
Eating out, family at home | Return home to light before meal | Wife may light on his behalf | Best to personally light; lighting at meal area is a mistake |
Eating elsewhere all 8 days/nights, returns home to sleep | Return home to light | None mentioned | Does not eat in other place on steady basis |
Traveled from far, cannot return home before meal | Appoint a Shomer, light after returning home | Wife may light on his behalf | May continue meal after appointing Shomer |
Men’s only Chanukah party/meal | Wife may light on his behalf | Return home and light personally (best) | May remain by the meal if wife lights |
Family eating out with another family | Questionable where to light | Return home with family to light before meal | Some Poskim: may light where eating; others: must return home |
Family traveled from far, cannot return before meal | Appoint a Shomer, light after returning home | None mentioned | Same as individual case |
Lives alone, eating out by friend | Return home to light prior to meal | Appoint a Shomer, light after returning home | Same dispute and ruling as above |
Summary | Must return home to light before meal | Appoint a Shomer, light after meal; wife may light on his behalf | Lighting at meal area is a mistake |
If a guest is eating by one host and sleeping by another, where is he to light the Chanukah candles?
If a guest is eating by one host and sleeping by another, where is he to light the Chanukah candles?
Question:
Our family is traveling out of town for one of the nights of Chanukkah and will be eating and sleeping in two different homes. We will be eating dinner by our relatives in the city although will not be sleeping by them that night and we will rather be sleeping elsewhere in the city. Where should I light the Chanukkah candles, where I am eating or where I’m sleeping?
Answer:
From the letter of the law, you can fulfill your obligation in either area. However, initially it is best for you to light the candles in the area that you and your family will be eating dinner. [However, if your family will remain in the area that you will be sleeping for the night and will not be eating dinner together with you by your relatives, then you should light in the area you will be sleeping where your family is found.]
Explanation: In previous times when the candle lighting took place by the door that faces the outside in order to publicize the miracle to the public, the main area for lighting was the area that one would be sleeping and not the area of eating. However, in today’s times that the custom has become to light inside the house and publicize the miracle to one’s family, the Poskim conclude that the main area follows the area of eating and not the area of sleeping. Accordingly, if one has a set home for eating and a set home for sleeping it is better for him to light in his eating home. Now, although the Achronim conclude that one who is merely eating out on one of the nights of Chanukkah must go back home to light candles in the area where he will be sleeping, this only refers to a case that one has a set home for eating and sleeping and is simply eating out on one of the nights, in which we say that that temporary eating area does not have the ability to override his set area of eating and sleeping. However, in our case that one’s sleeping area is also not set, as he is merely staying there for the night it ends up that for at least that night of Chanukkah, he does not have neither a set sleeping or set eating area, and hence both his sleeping area and eating area become of equal status, and in such a case the ruling is that today we mainly follow the eating area versus the sleeping area, and hence he should light at the area that he’s eating dinner with his family. However, all this only applies if he in truth is eating dinner together with his wife and children, in which case one can light by the dinner and publicize the miracle to his family. If, however, his wife and children remain in their sleeping area and do not join him for the dinner, then one should go back there to light and cannot light in the area of his dinner, due to reasons of Chashad, as explained in the Poskim. [However, in truth one can argue that in such a case, Chashad does not apply, as explained in M”B 677:11. Vetzaruch Iyun!] To note that all this follows the classic understanding of the major Achronim in the above Sugya, however, there are Poskim who novelize and rule that whenever one’s eating area is a distance from one’s sleeping area then one must light in the area that he is sleeping. According to this opinion it would end up that if one is not sleeping very close to the area that he’s eating dinner, then he must go back and light at his area of sleeping even if his family will be eating dinner with him.
Sources: See regarding lighting in the area of eating versus area of sleeping: Michaber 677:1; Tur in name of Rosh; Rashba 542, brought in Rama 677:1; Rashal, brought in Taz 677:2; Rama 677:1 and Taz 677:2 that we follow the eating area versus the sleeping area; M”B 677:11; Ateres Zekeinim 677:2 that if the two areas of eating and sleeping are a distance from each other, then he should light in the area that he will be sleeping. See regarding not lighting in a home where one is having dinner on one of the nights of Chanukah and the requirement to return back home in order to light: M”A 677:7; Taz 677:2 “Lighting by the meal would be similar to one who is lighting the candles in middle of the street, which of course has no relevance to the Mitzvah.”; Kneses Hagedola 677; Bach 677; Elya Raba 677:3; Peri Chadash 677; M”B 677:12; Biur Halacha 677:1 “Bemikom Sheochel”; Kaf Hachaim 677:17 and 21; Minchas Yitzchak 7:48; Kinyan Torah 5:72; Piskeiy Teshuvos 677:4 footnote 25 and 29-30; Az Nidbaru 7:69;
Lighting the Chanukah candles in one’s store to fulfill one’s obligation
Lighting the Chanukah candles in one’s store to fulfill one’s obligation
Question: [Monday, 25h Kisleiv, 5783]
I run a store which works late hours and wanted to know if I can fulfill my obligation of lighting candles by lighting candles in the store such as in my office where I spend a lot of my time during the day at work? Or, must I wait to get home to light?
Answer:
If you eat all, or majority and the main bulk, of your meals at the store, then you can light the candles there at its proper time. If you only eat a minority of meals in the store or office, and certainly if you don’t eat there proper meals at all and rather eats quick snacks and lunches, and wait to get home to eat a proper meal, then you must wait until you return home to light. You may however light candles in a viewable area within the store simply for the sake of Pirsumei Nissa, even though you do not fulfill your obligation with this lighting.
Explanation:
The obligation to light Chanukah candles applies specifically within the home in which one lives. In the words of the Talmud, “Ner Ish Ubeiso.” Accordingly, the Poskim rule that one cannot fulfill his obligation and mitzvah through lighting candles in a random area, and the mitzvah only applies and can only be fulfilled when lit within his home. Based on this, it is also ruled that no one fulfills their obligation by a public lighting such as in the street or in a synagogue, including the person who lit the candles and said the blessings, being that the mitzvah apply specifically to his home. Furthermore, based on this some Poskim go as far as to rule that one who is homeless is not obligated in the mitzvah at all. Whatever the case, even those who disagree and obligate a homeless person to light candles, agree that one who owns a home must specifically light within his home to fulfill his obligation. Thus, when challenged with the question if a store or business owner can fulfill his obligation by lighting in his store or office, the real question that is raises is regarding whether one’s store or office can be considered also like his home being that he spends much time there, and hence he can fulfill his obligation there as well, or if it is not considered his home being that he does not sleep there, and therefore he must light upon his return home to fill his mitzvah and lighting in the store or office would be useless. So, in this regard we find a discussion in the Poskim if one’s main location regarding the Chanukah candles is his place of eating or his place of sleeping, and practically the main ruling and initial custom follows that the area of eating is one’s main area, and hence if one eats and sleeps in two different areas he should light in the area that he eats. Based on all this we can rule as follows regarding if one can light or even should light by his store. If one eats all of his meals at work in his office or store, including breakfast lunch and dinner, then certainly, his office and store is his area of eating versus his house which is his area of sleeping, and hence he may even initially light the candles in the store or office to fulfill his obligation. If, however, he only eats a minority of meals in the store or office, and certainly if he doesn’t eat there proper meals at all and rather eats quick snacks and lunches, then his house is both his area of eating and sleeping, and hence he cannot fulfill his obligation with lighting in the store.
Sources: See regarding the obligation to light specifically where one lives and not in a random area: Rama 671:7 and Rivash 111 that one does not fulfill his obligation with the Shul’s Menorah lighting; Taz 677:2 “Lighting by the meal would be similar to one who is lighting the candles in middle of the street, which of course has no relevance to the Mitzvah.”; Rebbe in Hisvadyos 1987 2 p. 98 that the participants do not fulfill their obligation with such lighting and thus should be informed that they must still light in their homes; See regarding following the area where one eats versus the area where one sleeps: Michaber 677:1 [area of sleep]; Rama 677:1 [area of eat]; Rashba 542 [eat]; Tur in name of Rosh [sleep]; Rashal, brought in Taz 677:2 [sleep]
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