Placement of the Chanukah Candles: Difference between revisions

# If there’s a courtyard from one’s house to the public domain, one should light by the courtyard entrance near the public domain and not at the door of one’s house. <ref>The Gemara ([[Shabbat]] 21b) states that [[Chanukah]] candles should be lit outside the door of one’s house. Rashi (s.v. MeBaChutz) explains that the [[Chanukah]] candles should be placed inside the courtyard and not in the public domain, whereas Tosfot (s.v. Mitzvah) argue that it should be placed by the entrance to the courtyard. The Piskei Rid, Rashba, Tur, and Shulchan Aruch 671:5 hold like Tosfot.

* Similarly, the Tur 671:5 (explained by the Beit Yosef) writes that one who lives in an upper floor apartment is supposed to light in the window only if the apartment doesn't have a doorway to a courtyard or public domain. If there was a doorway to a public domain, one should light by that doorway and if there was a doorway to the courtyard, one should light by the door to the courtyard. If the door to the upper floor apartment only opens up to the downstairs apartment, one should light in the window. If there's a doorway from the upstairs apartment into the downstairs, why couldn't one light by the doorway to the entire house? The Beit Yosef 671:5 answers that the Tur holds that only if the door to the upstairs apartment goes into the house itself, lighting by the house doorway won’t be recognizable that it belongs to the upstairs apartment. Nonetheless, Torat HaMoadim 3:2 based on Ritva ([[Shabbat]] 21b) says that the Bet Yosef’s concern doesn’t apply to the stairwell because it’s known that all the tenants have rights to the stairwell so someone in an upper floor apartment can still put a chanukia there.</ref> For example, if one has a front yard in front of one's house one should light near the entrance to the front yard. However, others held that nowadays one shouldn't light at the entrance of a courtyard.<ref>Hilchot Chag B'chag (Chanuka 5:1) writes that it was common in Yerushalayim for people to light at the entrance of their courtyard near the street, however, the Chazon Ish's opinion is that nowadays we don't have courtyards like the days of Chazal, therefore one can't light near the entrance of one's courtyard.</ref>

## Many poskim hold that the stairwell from one apartment downstairs to the lobby is considered a courtyard and so one should light by the entrance to the apartment building.<ref>Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Halichot Shlomo 14:4) holds that if one lives in an apartment building, he should light by the entrance to the apartment building, as it leads out to the street. Since the stairwell and entrance is used for entering and exiting, it is recognizable that the candles lit at the entrance of the building were lit by one of the tenants. Therefore, he considers the staircase that goes from one’s apartment to the building entrance as a courtyard, and one should light at the entrance of the courtyard in accordance with the opinion of Tosfot.</ref>

## Many poskim disagree and do not consider the stairwell to be a courtyard and so one should light by the entrance of one’s apartment if it can be seen by those who pass by. Alternatively, one should light by the window facing the public domain unless the window is above 20 [[amot]] from the street level.<Ref>Regarding Eruvin, the Chazon Ish (OC 65:52) posits that nowadays, there is no such thing as a halachic courtyard because we don’t treat courtyards or streets as extensions of the house as they did in the days of Chazal. Therefore, the Chazon Ish (quoted in Shevut Yitzchak [[Chanukah]] p. 6) rules that one may not light [[Chanukah]] candles by the entrance to a courtyard because it is not considered a halachic courtyard. Rav Nissim Karelitz (Chut HaShani [[Chanukah]] pg 306-7) adds that according to the Chazon Ish, one who lives in an apartment should light at one’s doorway unless people won't see it, in which case one should light in the window facing the public domain. Similarly, Torat HaMoadim (Rav David Yosef, 3:2, pg 74-6) writes that according to the Chazon Ish, one should light by the window facing the public domain if it's within 20 [[amot]] of street level, otherwise one should light by the door of one's apartment.</ref>

# One must light in the place where the Chanukia is going to stay. Thus, one shouldn’t light indoors and then move the Chanukia outside or light it in one’s hand and then put it down. If one did so, one should extinguish the candles and relight without a bracha. <ref>Rava's opinion on [[Shabbat]] 22b is that one must light the [[Chanukah]] candles where the candles are going stay. Rambam ([[Chanukah]] 4:9), Tur and S”A (675:1) codify this as the halacha. Pri Chadash says one shouldn’t make a bracha if one needs to light again, against Hagahot Rabbi Akiva Eiger 675 who says to make a bracha. Torat HaMoadim 3:9 and Sh”t Hitorerut Teshuva 2:110 hold that because of Safek [[Brachot]] one shouldn’t make a bracha (in addition to the idea that perhaps one fulfills the mitzvah not it’s place if it’s recognizable that it’s lit for [[Chanukah]], Sh”t Lev Chaim 3:146). [Regarding reciting a bracha in cases where there is a double safek see Yechave Daat 5:21.] </ref>Consequently, a sick person should not light while in bed and then have the Chanukia moved but rather should let another household member light. <ref> Torat HaMoadim 3:9 quotes the ruling of a sick person from Sh”t Lev Chaim 3:146</ref>