DailyHalacha.com for Mobile Devices Now Available

Click Here to Sponsor Daily Halacha
"Delivered to Over 6000 Registered Recipients Each Day"

      
(File size: 388 KB)
Hanukah – Where Should One Light If He Lives on a High Floor in an Apartment Building?

The Misva of the Hanukah candles, as we know, is Pirsumeh Nisa – to publicize the Hanukah miracle. And therefore the candles are generally positioned (by those who light indoors; some people light outdoors) near the window facing the street, in order to publicize the miracle.

The question arises as to whether one who lives on a high floor in an apartment building should also light by the window. The halachic sources mention that people in the street do not normally look at heights greater than 20 Amot, and thus it would seem that if one lives in an apartment that is higher than 20 Amot, he does not achieve anything by lighting by the window. On the other hand, one could argue that he should light by the window because the candles will then be visible by those in neighboring buildings who will see the candles through their window.

Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv (1910-2012) reportedly ruled that the obligation of Pirsumeh Nisa requires displaying the candles to people in the public domain, not to neighboring buildings, and thus one does not achieve this goal by lighting by the window in such a case. Instead, one should light by the doorway to his apartment, opposite the Mezuzah. This is also the ruling of Hacham Ovadia Yosef, as codified in Yalkut Yosef (English edition, p. 81; listen to audio recording for precise citation).

Summary: If one lives an apartment over 20 Amot from the ground, he should not light the Hanukah candles by the window, and should instead light them in the doorway to his apartment.

 


Recent Daily Halachot...
Koser – Detaching Vegetation on Shabbat
Shabbat – Wearing Fine Clothes; Greeting the Shabbat When Reciting “Bo’i Kalla”
Placing a Lemon in Hot Water on Shabbat
May a Hotel Guest Drink Coffee That Was Prepared on Shabbat?
If One Realizes There is Something in His Pocket While Walking Outside on Shabbat
Asking a Gentile to Turn Off an Alarm on Shabbat
"Amira Le'nochri" – Asking a Gentile to Perform Melacha on Shabbat
Looking in a Mirror on Shabbat
Hiring a Non-Jew for Agricultural Work on Shabbat
Borer – Pouring Out the Liquid From Yoghurt Container or a Can of Olives
Laws of Borer That Apply When Preparing and Eating a Vegetable Salad
Borer – How Long Before a Meal May One Separate Foods?
Borer- Peeling Onions, Garlic and Fruits on Shabbat
Is it Permissible to Remove the Bones While Eating Fish on Shabbat?
Peeling Fruits and Vegetables on Shabbat and Yom Tob
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found