DailyHalacha.com for Mobile Devices Now Available

Halacha is In Honor Of
 Dr. Alfredo Torres
""Tiferet banim avotam". May H", in his mercy, continue to bestow upon our beloved father all the blessings, and may he experience lots of nahat from the family he has toiled so hard to build."

Dedicated By
The Torres family

Click Here to Sponsor Daily Halacha
      
(File size: 592 KB)
Hanukah – Lighting a Menorah That Has a “Back”

Some people use for Hanukah a Menorah that has a "back," meaning, a wall behind the candles, which obstructs the view of people standing on the other side. The question arises as to how and whether such a Menorah may be used for the Misva. The purpose of lighting the Hanukah candles is to make them visible to the public, and this purpose is obviously not achieved if people looking at the window see only the back of the Menorah, and not the candles. On the other hand, if one turns the Menorah around so it faces the window, he will not realistically be able to light it. One might suggest lighting the Menorah and then turning it around to face the window, but Halacha forbids moving the Menorah after the candles are lit (Mishna Berura 675:6).

Hacham Bension Abba Shaul (Israel, 1923-1998) addresses this issue in his work Or Le’sion (vol. 4, p. 280; listen to audio recording for precise citation), and he writes that if one uses such a Menorah, he should turn it on an angle so that he will be able to light it and it will be seen by people outside. By turning it around partially, one ensures that he will be able to light the candles while still allowing people outside to see the lights.

Summary: If one uses a Menorah with a back wall, he should position it on an angle such that he will be able to light it but it will also be visible to people outside.

 


Recent Daily Halachot...
Removing a Teabag From a Teacup on Shabbat
Borer – Removing a Fly From Soup or From a Beverage on Shabbat
Halachot of Borer as They Apply to Eating Soup
Borer – Separating Food Which One Dislikes From Food Which He Likes
Borer – If One Separated Food and Then Decides Not to Eat
Borer – Peeling More Fruits Than are Needed for the Current Meal
Borer – Separating Foods for Somebody Else
Borer – Separating Foods That are Together on a Plate But Not Mixed
Borer – Removing Edible Food From Inedible Food
Borer – The Status of Food That Was Separated in Forbidden Fashion on Shabbat
Borer – Peeling on Onion on Shabbat
Is it Permissible to Insulate a Pot of Food With Towels on Shabbat?
If A Blech Had Been Placed on a Stove Before Shabbat and Then Fell Off
The Shabbat Haftara Reading
May One Open a Door on Shabbat if it Has Shelves with Mukseh Items?
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found