Halacha establishes that if a man is away from home on one of the nights of Chanukah, but his wife and children remain at home, then his wife (or another family member) should light the Chanukah candles, and he fulfills his obligation through her lighting. The question arises as to whether a person whose wife lit in his stead on the first night or nights of Chanukah recites She'hecheyanu when he lights for the first time on a subsequent night. Does his wife's recitation of She'hecheyanu satisfy his obligation with respect to this Beracha, or does he fulfill only the Mitzvah of candle lighting through her lighting, while still bearing an obligation to recite She'hecheyanu?
This issue is subject to a major debate among the later Halachic authorities. The Magen Avraham (commentary to the Shulchan Aruch by Rabbi Avraham Gombiner, Poland, 1637-1683), in Siman 676 (Se'if Katan 2), cites the position of the Bach (Rabbi Yoel Sirkes, Poland, 1561-1640) requiring one to recite She'hecheyanu when he lights for the first time after the first night of Chanukah. In his view, a man fulfills through his wife's lighting only the obligation of candle lighting, and not the obligation of She'hecheyanu, and he must therefore recite the Beracha the first time he lights. The Magen Avraham himself, however, disagrees, claiming the wife's recitation of She'hecheyanu on the first night indeed fulfills the husband's obligation with respect to this Beracha. The Magen Avraham draws proof for his position from the Gemara's account of a story involving Rabbi Zeira, who was away on Chanukah and relied on his wife's candle lighting. The Gemara's formulation suggests that Rabbi Zeira relied on his wife entirely, even with respect to the Beracha of She'hecheyanu, and thus Rabbi Zeira was not required to recite She'hecheyanu when he lit for the first time later during Chanukah.
The Eliyahu Rabba (work of Halacha by Rabbi Eliyahu Shapiro, Prague, 1660-1712) sides with the position of the Bach, and dismisses the proof drawn by the Magen Avraham. He contends that one may easily interpret the Gemara to mean that Rabbi Zeira relied on his wife with regard to the obligation of candle lighting, and not as far as the Beracha of She'hecheyanu is concerned. This ruling of the Bach is accepted by several other authorities, as well, including the contemporary sage Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, as recorded by Rabbi Efrayim Greenblat in his work Rivevot Efrayim (6:410).
As for the final Halacha, Chacham Ovadia Yosef, in his work Chazon Ovadia (Chanukah, p. 138), rules in accordance with the aforementioned position of the Bach, requiring one to recite She'hecheyanu in such a case. Although this issue is subject to controversy, and we generally apply in such situations the rule of "Safeik Berachot Le'hakel," meaning that we do not recite a Beracha if its requirement is uncertain, Chacham Ovadia however claims that this rule does not apply to She'hecheyanu. The Beracha of She'hecheyanu is of a different nature than other Berachot, and hence we may follow the Bach's position requiring the recitation of She'hecheyanu in this case despite the difference of opinion surrounding this issue.
In conclusion, then, if a person is away on the first night or nights of Chanukah, and his wife or another family member lights in his stead, he recites the Beracha of She'hecheyanu when he lights Chanukah candles personally for the first time later during Chanukah.
