There is an interesting question regarding Menorah lightning. Normally, it is our custom to light the Menorah at home first, and then come to synagogue and light again in shul. So the question is asked in Halacha, can you make all three Berachot on the first night of Chanukah in the synagogue? This question specifically addresses the Beracha of Shehechiynau. Since everybody already lit at home, and everyone made Shehechiynau already, can somebody get up and light the Menorah in the synagogue and make Shehechiynau again? It’s a big dilemma in Halacha.
It seems clear from the Ben Ish Chai in Parashat VaYeshev, Halacha 11, that you do not make the Beracha of Shehechiynau again if you made it at home, unless there’s somebody that didn’t light and recite it at home. In such a case, that individual could make the Shehechiynau in the synagogue. But he holds that if everybody lit at home and they all heard the Shehechiynau, so then in that situation there would be no Shehechiynau made in the synagogue. He says actually on such a case, ‘Safek Berachot Lihakhel’. And that’s exactly the way the Kaf Hachayim also rules.
I just want to point out, that in Kaf Hachayim, siman 670:74-75 where it rules like the Ben Ish Chai, there is also another ruling from the Chida which is brought down from the Zera Emet. The Chida brings down clearly that if a person made Shehechiynau at home and then comes to the synagogue, he could make Shehechiynau again.
So The Kaf Hachayim contradicts himself in back to back paragraphs. In one paragraph he holds like the Ben Ish Chai that if everybody made Shehechiynau at home so you don’t make it again in the synagogue. And then he says from the Zera Emet that if you lit at home and said Shehechiynau, and you come to the synagogue so you again make the Shehechiynau. How can this be, unless we understand there is a difference between the Ben Ish Chai’s case and the Zera Emet’s case. Maybe the Zera Emet was talking about a guy who lit at home but he’s going to the synagogue where other people did not light yet. And therefore, he could make a Shehechiynau because there are people in the synagogue that did not hear the Shehechiynau yet. Although that is a difficult assumption to make, we nevertheless have to answer something on the Kaf Hachayim in order to make him not contradicting himself.
In any event the Tzitz Eliezer in Helek 13, Teshuba 69 wants to say that Shehechiynau is part of the Berachot, and is part of the tribute to, and commemoration of the Miracle of Chanukah, and therefore even if everybody made the Shehechiynau at home, it would be a new Mitzvah to light the Menorah in public when they come to shul. Therefore, he holds that we recite Shehechiynau, and he holds that there is no Safek Berachot by the rule of Shehechiynau anyway, because if the guy has happiness it doesn’t matter.
So it comes out we have a Machloket between the Tzitz Eliezer and the Ben Ish Chai. The Halacha- we will follow the Ben Ish Chai in this case, and the Kaf Hachayim, since we are loyal to those Poskim, even though there is what to question on this Ben Ish Chai, especially since we have Zera Emet and Chida that do not hold like that. But the Ben Ish Chai tells us ‘Safek Berachot Lihakel’, and Chacham Ovadia does not argue on this in his Sefer Halichot Olam. So it’s fair to assume that he agrees with the Ben Ish Chai on this case. Therefore the Halacha- if there is somebody that was not around for the candle lighting at home, he then should make the Shehechiynau. But if everybody in the synagogue lit the Menorah at home and said Shehechiynau, then the Beracha of Shehechiynau is omitted.
It should be pointed out though, that only the Beracha of ‘Lihadlik Ner Chanukah’ is said in the synagogue in this situation on Friday night where everyone lit at home. (See the Daily Halacha entitled "Chanukah- Should One Recite Again SheAsa Nissim at Menorah Lighting in Shul After Doing So At Home.")
