Chanukah at home: a simple guide to lighting the menorah
Which way the candles go, which blessings to say, and what to do on Friday night — everything you need for eight nights of light, on one page.
Every year someone stops me after the menorah lighting downtown and says, a little embarrassed, "I haven't lit one since I was a kid — which way do the candles go again?" So here it is, once and for all, on one page. Print it, stick it on the fridge, and light.
What you need
- A menorah with eight branches in a row and a ninth, the shamash, set apart
- Candles or olive oil with wicks — 44 candles cover all eight nights
- A window or doorway, so the light can be seen from the street
- Your family, your roommates, or a friend. It's better with company
How to light, night by night
- Place the candles from right to left — one on the first night, two on the second, and so on.
- Light the shamash first and hold it while you say the blessings.
- Light from left to right: the newest candle first.
- Let them burn for at least half an hour after nightfall. Don't use them for light to read by — just look at them.
Friday night is different
On Friday, light the menorah before the Shabbat candles, and use candles big enough to burn until half an hour after dark. On Saturday night, wait until Shabbat ends and make havdalah first.
The blessings are in every prayer book and on the card we hand out at the lighting downtown. If you'd like a free menorah and a box of candles, call the office — we have a box of them waiting for exactly that.
Chanukah's whole idea is that a little light pushes away a lot of darkness. One candle in one window counts. Light yours.
