DailyHalacha.com for Mobile Devices Now Available

Halacha is In Memory of
 Yehoshua ben Sarah (Alfred Sutton)

Dedicated By
His Children and Grandchildren

Click Here to Sponsor Daily Halacha
      
(File size: 620 KB)
Chanukah- Should One Light When In A Place Full of Goyim Even If His Wife Lights In His Stead At Home

Generally speaking, a person who spends one of the nights of Chanukah away from home is not required to light Chanukah candles if his wife lights at home. He fulfills his obligation through his wife's lighting, and he therefore does not light Chanukah candles in his present location.

The Shulchan Aruch (677:3) does, however, make one exception to this rule (listen to audio for precise citation). Namely, if a person travels in a place with no Jews at all, such that he will not see any Chanukah candles that night, then he must, indeed, light Chanukah candles in his present location and recite the Berachot. This ruling is based on the position of the Mahari Abuhav (Spain-Israel, 1433-1493), which Rabbi Yosef Karo (author of the Shulchan Aruch) cites in his work Beit Yosef.

The Peri Chadash (Rabbi Chizkiya Da Silva, Italy, 1659-1698) disputes this ruling of the Shulchan Aruch, arguing that since the man fulfills his obligation through his wife's lighting, he cannot recite the Berachot over his own lighting. The first Beracha mentions that God "commanded us to kindle the Chanukah candle," and this individual cannot possibly speak of God as commanding him to light candles, given that his obligation is already fulfilled through his wife's lighting.

As for the final Halacha, Chacham Ovadia Yosef, in his work Chazon Ovadia (Laws of Chanukah, p. 158), follows the ruling of the Shulchan Aruch, requiring a person in this situation to light Chanukah candles with the Berachot. He adds that in such a case one should preferably have clear intention not to fulfill his obligation through his wife's lighting, so that according to all views he will now be required to personally light Chanukah candles and may thus recite the Berachot without concern.

This Halacha is very applicable to those who travel on business during Chanukah. For example, a person who travels during Chanukah in areas in the Far East with no Jewish community whatsoever must light candles with the Berachot even if his wife lights at home.

Summary: A person who is away from home on a night during Chanukah fulfills the candle lighting obligation through his wife's lighting. If, however, he is in an area without any Jews at all, he must light candles with the Berachot, and should preferably have clear intent not to fulfill his obligation through his wife's lighting.

 


Recent Daily Halachot...
Pesah: Selling an Entire Room That Contains Hames
Pesah- How Long Must One Wait Before Koshering Utensils?
Pesah: Must One Own the Massa to Fulfill the Misva?
Pesah-The Status of Hames After Pesah
Pesah- Paying for the Masa
Pesah- Bedikat Hames in a Hotel Room
Selling Hametz
Pesah – Breaking Off Undesirable Pieces of Masa
Kimha De’pis’ha – Donating to Charity Before Pesah
The Importance of Studying Torah During Hol Ha’mo’ed
Pesah – The Meaning of the Word “Afikoman”, Eating the Afikoman in One Place; If One Fell Asleep While Eating the Afikoman
Pesah- Halacha by Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar
Pesah- The Misva of Maror
Pesah- The Fast on Erev Pesah
Pesah: Drinking After Afikoman
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found