When is the preferred time for lighting Chanukah candles, and what does one do if he cannot come home at this preferred time?
Chanukah candles should be lit fifteen minutes after sunset. During this time of year, the sun sets in the New York City area at around 4:30 PM or so, and therefore one should preferably light Chanukah candles at 4:45 PM. One must ensure to place enough oil for the candles to remain lit for at least a half-hour.
Therefore, on days when one is home, such as Sunday, it is improper to unnecessarily delay the lighting of the Chanukah candles until later in the evening, as some people mistakenly do. One should go to the Mincha and Arbit service and then immediately return home to light the candles.
If one must be at work and cannot come home to light Chanukah candles at the proper time, he should, according to some views, have his wife light on his behalf at the proper time, fifteen minutes past sunset. According to others, however, it is preferable for the family to light all together, and therefore the wife should wait for the husband to return home, at which point he lights for the family. Both opinions are equally valid.
One should recite Arbit before lighting Chanukah candles, because of the principle of "Tadir Ve'she'eno Tadir, Tadir Kodem" – we give precedence to the more frequent Mitzva. Since the obligation of Arbit applies far more frequently than Chanukah candles, one should recite Arbit before he lights the Chanukah candles.
Summary: Chanukah candles should be lit fifteen minutes after sundown, and one must not delay the lighting unnecessarily. One who cannot be home at this hour has the option of either having his wife light on his behalf at the proper time, or waiting until he returns home. In all cases, one should recite Arbit before lighting Chanukah candles.
