Chanukah FAQ ( click here for full halachic overview from OU )Q: When is earliest to light? When is the latest?A There are different opinions, but you should wait for nightfall (5:30). If you have to light early, you may light as early as plag hamincha (3:47) but use enough oil to last ideally until 6:00. Ideally before 6. But if you are late, light as long as people are out on the streets or up in the house. Make sure the candles are lit for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Q - Wax or Oil?Olive oil is the best! But wax will do and don’t delay in order to get olive oil. If the oil burns for more than a half hour, you can dispose of the rest, but it’s a good idea to have in mind that the extra oil should not become dedicated as Chanukah oil. If the oil did not burn for 30 minutes, you can use it on another night or burn it after Chanukah. It may not be used for anything else.
Q: If I am eating a meal not at my house on Friday night (outdoors and socially distant), where do I light?If this same question would be about a weeknight, I would say that you should light at home. The halacha is that if one is eating out and sleeping at home, the proper place to light is at home. So if there is enough time for the candles to last for 1/2 hour, before you have to go out, light before you go, and then just blow them out after a 1/2 hour. If you are going out straight from work and have no opportunity to light before you go, you may ask someone to remind you and light when you get home (or set an alarm on your phone!) as long as people are still up at home. However, this question pertains to Shabbat when you may not light later (it is Shabbat) and you may not blow out the candles after 1/2 hour because you may not do this on Shabbat. So what do you do? Rabbi Dov Linzer provides the following options:
a) Show up at shul or at the friend's house before Shabbat begins and give them a small amount of money to be part of their lighting. Or if there are enough candles, light your own chanukiyah there. This is allowed because of the fire safety concern.
b)Light at home in a safe way. One option is to only use one candle (the halachically required amount) and place it in the chanukiyah in a metal tray with water on the bottom. If it falls, it will fall into the water. Alternatively, one may use electric light. If using an electric light, you should use one that is battery powered and not a plug in.
Q:I heard that you can’t do certain things when the Chanukah candles are lit. What are the parameters?It was once the practice of women to refrain from certain forms of work to commemorate their participation in the miracle of Chanukah. This custom only applies for the first half hour that the lights are burning (or longer if one lights early). While this custom is no longer widely practiced, the spirit of the custom is important--since the lights are means not to be used but only to be looked at to remind us of the miracle, it’s a good idea to use this 30-minute period to talk about the holiday with your family, eat customary Chanukah foods (fried foods and some also have a custom to eat dairy products) and to share divrei Torah. Check out this suggestion from the OU about reducing screen time for 30 minutes while the flames are lit.
Q: What is the rule if I forget to insert Al HaNissim in Shemoneh Esrei or Birkat HaMazon?Al HaNissim does not have to be repeated. If one realized their mistake before reciting Hashem's name in the beracha, one may return to Al HaNissim. If not, and one does remember, one should continue and recite it in Birkat HaMazon in the middle of the HaRachaman section or in Shemoneh Esrei before the very end of Shemoneh Esrei
