A poor person lighting Chanukah Candles: Difference between revisions

# If one only has oil for one night, meaning it only will last a half hour, he should light it the first night and not split it up for all the nights since making a bracha on such a candle is a possible bracha levatalah. <ref> Sh”t Sadeh HaAretz O”C 3:34, Sh”t Lechem Shlomo O”C 117(5), Moadei Hashem pg 111c D”H 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. So says Divrei Tzvi 671. 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 le’halacha. See Rav Ovadya’s Meor Yisrael 3 pg 312.</ref>

# If on the second night, someone who only has 2 candles should light one that night so that tomorrow he’ll be able to also one candle. <ref> Chaye Adam 154:25, Ikrei HaDaat 35:6, Chazon Ovadiah (Mitzvah Hadlaka 5, pg 29), Torat HaMoedim Chanuka 1:7</ref>

# One who only has 2 candles on the 3rd 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 D”H Elah, Aruch HaShulchan 671:10, Mishna Brurah 671:5, Kaf HaChaim 671:10, Bet Halevi on Torah (Chanuka pg 29b), Mishpat Cohen 95, Sh”t Rivavot Efraim 4:181(11), Sh”t Mishnat Halachot 6:84, Moadim BeHalacha pg 166, Chazon Ovadiah (Mitzvah Hadlaka footnote 7, pg 31), Torat HaMoadim Chanuka 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 (Chanuka 4:1). Editor’s inference: if one did light 2 candles on the 3rd night and then realized that he should only have lit one, he should relight without a bracha just like someone who lit by accident 2 on the 3rd night thinking that it was the 2nd night should relight without a bracha (Orchot Chaim Chanuka 10). </ref>

# One who only has 9 candles should light 2 on the 2nd night and one the other nights. So too if one has 10 candles one lights 2 on the 2nd night and one the other nights and not 2 on the 3rd night. <ref> Torat HaMoadim Chanuka 1:8 based on the sources in previous footnote. </ref>