A poor person lighting Chanukah Candles: Difference between revisions

# A person who only has only enough oil for one night, meaning, just enough oil to last a half hour, should light that amount of oil on the first night and not split it up for all the nights.<ref> Sh”t Sadeh HaAretz O”C 3:34, Sh”t Lechem Shlomo O”C 117(5), Moadei Hashem pg 111c s.v. Kavaum, Sh”t Imrei Shefer O”C 5, and Sh”t Sheilat Yitzchak 3:58(2) hold one should use the required amount for the first night even at the expense of other nights. Netah Surak 73b says based on the Bet Yosef’s answer that the Chashmonaim split up the oil for the 8 days, that one is allowed to do the same since the minimum amount of a half hour isn’t Me’akev. Divrei Tzvi 671 agrees. However, Chazon Ovadiah (Mitzvah Hadlaka 4, pg 28) argues the Bet Yosef’s answer was only for the Bet Hamikdash where miracles are regular and that his answer wasn’t meant in a halachic sense. See Rav Ovadya’s Meor Yisrael (vol 3, pg 312).</ref>

# On the second night, a person who only has two candles should light one that night and one the next, so that tomorrow he will also be able to light.<ref> Chaye Adam 154:25, Ikrei HaDaat 35:6, Chazon Ovadiah (Mitzvah Hadlaka 5, pg 29), Torat HaMoadim ([[Chanukah]] 1:7)</ref>

# One who only has two candles on the third night or any case where he doesn’t have the right number of candles should only light one candle. <ref> Chaye Adam 154:25, Sh”t Katav Sofer 135, Sh”t Shevet Sofer 26 s.v. Elah, Aruch HaShulchan 671:10, Mishna Brurah 671:5, Kaf HaChaim 671:10, Bet Halevi on Torah ([[Chanukah]] pg 29b), Mishpat Cohen 95, Sh”t Rivavot Efraim 4:181(11), Sh”t Mishnat Halachot 6:84, Moadim BeHalacha pg 166, Chazon Ovadiah (Mitzvat Hadlaka n. 7, pg 31), Torat HaMoadim [[Chanukah]] 1:8 all hold that since the mitzvah is to light the number of the night lighting the wrong number isn’t a hiddur and may be a violation of [[Bal Tigra]] against the Avi Ezri ([[Chanukah]] 4:1).</ref>

# One who only has 9 candles should light two on the second night and one the rest of the nights. Similarly, if one has 10 candles, one should light two on the second night and one the rest of the nights and not light two on the third night. <ref> Torat HaMoadim [[Chanukah]] 1:8 based on the sources in previous footnote. </ref>