How do you light a Hanukkiyah?

Answer 1

The Chanukah menora - or chanukiyah - is lit every night over eight nights of Chanukah.

First, set up your oil wicks/candles: Start with one on the first night, two on the second, etc. Plus, each night there is an extra candle called the 'shamash' that serves as the service candle; it's this candle you actually light with the match and use to light the others.

There are 3 blessings to say before you do the actual lighting. One is said only on the first night - that is the 'she-hechiyanu' blessing. The other two are said every night.

Once the blessings have been said (or sung) there are a few Chanukah songs you can choose to sing. It's good to be festive and hang around the candles while they are burning.

Tip: The holiday is celebrating the miracle of the Temple's oil lasting for eight days, and in actuality, it is better to use an oil menora/chanukiyah than candles. But candles are fine too, according to Jewish law.

Answer 2

Anyone in the household may light a Hanukkiyah Hanukkah-menorah).

Use the Shamash, which is usually the candle in the center or on the side (higher up than the rest) to light the rest of the candles.

You add a candle each night for eight nights, adding them right to left. But you always light the newest candle first; so they're lit from left to right.

On each night, the number of candles that are lit corresponds to the present day of Chanukah. (And one additional candle called the Shamash - see below).

On the first night of Chanukah, one candle is lit. On the second night, two are lit. (Both of these are aside from the Shamash.)

The candles go on the right side of the Menorah. On the first night, the one candle is in the rightmost position. On the second night, they are in the two rightmost positions, etc. On the 8th night, all the candles are lit.

When lighting the candles, start from the leftmost candle and work your way toward the right until you finish fighting all the candles.

Each night, one additional candle is lit on top of those that correspond to the day of Chanukah that is. This candle is called the Shamash. It isn't part of the main commandment of lighting, but rather is an external candle lit for other reasons. It is usually put higher and separately from the other candles.

Answer 3

The Menorah has 7 branches and was lit in the Temple.

The Chanukkiah (Hanukkah menorah) has eight branches and is lit on chanukkah.

The Chanukkiah should have all the normal candles on the same level and a shammash on a higher level.

The lamps should be in the form of paraffin candles or olive oil with wicks. They should burn longer than half an hour.

My own custom is to use olive oil, with a paraffin candle for the shamash.

The most simple Channukia I made (in primary school) was a piece of wood with 8 caps from tins to hold the normal candles. I then stuck a 'taller' piece of wood to that and placed a cap on that to hold the shamash. I used some candles my mother had bought. (I received an "A grade" for this project)

Answer 4

The center candle is the helper candle used to light all the others. One candle is lit at sunset on the first night of Chanukah. Each night a candle is added, the first is the far right candle and each candle after is the one next to it.

Answer 5

Hebrew is read from right to left, so that's the order the candles are lit.

The previous answer is wrong. Candles are added each night from right to left, but the newest candle is always lit first...from left to right. Many Jews do not know this.

Answer 6

The Hanukkah-menorah.