We know that it is proper to light both at home and in the synagogue. We also know that we make the Berachot of ‘SheAsas Nissim’ and ‘LiHadlik Ner Chanukah’ when we light at home and when we light in Shul. We learned in another Daily Halacha that on the first night of Chanukah, we only say the Beracha of Shehchiynau’ at home unless there is someone in the shul who did not light at home. (See the Daily Halacha entitled ‘Chanukah- Should One Recite Shehechiynau at Menorah Lighting In Shul Even After Saying It At Home.’) But the question is asked about Friday nights.
I recently received a Teshuva (answer) from Israel that was written by the Gaon, Rabbi Shemuel Pinchasi, which discusses the ‘SheAsa Nissim LaAvotenu’ in the synagogue. Can you say ‘SheAsa Nissim LaAvotenu’ in the synagogue on Friday night?
What’s the question? Is SheAsa Nissim LaAvotenu considered part of the lighting or is it considered for the holiday? If you consider it part of the lighting so then already you are lighting the Menorah again, so just like you say Ner Chanukah, you would say SheAsa Nissim LaAvotenu. But if it is for the Holiday, you must then omit the second time in the synagogue.
So let’s understand Rabbi Pinchasi’s analysis.
The Chida has an interesting question by Purim. On the Megilah on Purim, we make Berachot before we read the Megilah. Let’s say you don’t have a Megilah, and you are not going to read the Megilah. So he says that you just make the Beracha of Shehechiynau for the holiday, and you don’t say SheAsa Nissim LaAvotenu, because SheAsa Nissim LaAvotenu is for the Megialh. So too would be for Chanukah. If you don’t have candles on Chanukah, and you are not going to see it and you are not going to be involved with it, so you would just say Shehechiynau for the holiday, but you would not say SheAsa Nissim LaAvotenu, because SheAsa Nissim LaAvotenu is actually for the lighting. So if it is for the lighting then you should make it in the synagogue.
However, Rav Zvi Pesah Frank brings down other opinions from the Me’eri and others that want to say NO. They say that ‘SheAsa Nissim LaAvotenu’ is also for the holiday. They say it’s not specifically for the lighting and therefore, if you made ‘SheAsa Nissim LaAvotenu’ at home, it is considered done. It’s like Shehechiynau. It’s a Beracha of praise to Bore Olam. You praised him already. It’s not considered a Beracha of the actual Mitzvah, and so you would not repeat it in shul.
So we have a Machloket. Rabbi Pinchasi concludes, ‘Safek Berachot Lihakhel’, meaning when it comes to making Berachot, we are always concerned, and take the opinion not to make the Beracha. This means that in we should not repeat ‘SheAsa Nissim LaAvotenu’ in the synagogue.
Halacha Lema'ase, according to Chacham Ovadia Yoseph in his Sefer Kol Sinai, we do not repeat ‘SheAsa Nissim LaAvotenu’ in the synagogue, but rather only say it once at home. However, this is limited to Friday night only because we lit at home already. So on Friday nights, we say all the Berachot at home, but in the synagogue we only say the one Beracha of ‘Lehadlik Ner Chanukah’.
It should be pointed out that on the other nights of Chanukah that we light in the synagogue first, and so all the Berachot are made there. Our Halacha above only applies to Friday nights.
