The Laws Of Chanukah - part 1 vol.2 no.27
The mitzvah of lighting the Chanuka Menorah
On the evening of the 25th of Kislev (this year coinciding with the 17th of December) we light the first light of the Chanuka menorah. Our sages arranged this mitzva with three levels of observance. One can fulfill the mitzva by lighting only one light each of the eight nights regardless of the number of people in the household. A preferred level of observance entails that each one of the household members lights one light each night. An even more preferred level of observance is adding an additional light each night, which is the prevalent custom today. However, there is a difference between the Ashkanazic and the Sephardic customs regarding this third level. According to the Ashkenazic custom each family member adds an additional light each night. In the Sephardic tradition only one person lights for the entire household adding an additional light each night.
One may rely on the lesser preferred ways of performing the mitzva in times of difficulty as, for example, in times of financial hardship or technical difficulties.
The main aspect of the mitzva is to publicize the miracle of the oil burning for eight days. In the times of the Talmud it was customary to place the menorah outside to best publicize the miracle. However, in the many years of our exile living among gentiles there were periods when it was dangerous to openly display the performance of a mitzva. Therefore the custom developed to light inside the house and ěpublicizeî the mitzva to the family members. Other authorities state that this custom arose due to the cold European winters. Nowadays the prevalent custom is to place the menorah near a window in order that passerbys can see the lights. If no window is exposed to passerbys, the common custom is to place the menorah on a table easily visible to the household.
When more than one person lights they should position their menorahs so that it can be discerned that more than one person is lighting and how many lights are being lit.
The lights should be lit in a straight line with each light disinctly set apart from one another. Therefore one should avoid using a menorah whose branches are uneven or very close together. This is especially a concern when using candle menorahs.
Since it is prohibited to derive benefit from the light of the Chanukah menorah it became the custom to light an extra light every night called the shammash. This way, one could benefit from this light and avoid using the menorah. According to the Ashkenazic custom the menorah is lit with the shammash. It is situated either higher or apart from the other lights. Even when numerous members of the household light each one should light a shammash.
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