Daf HaYomi B'Halacha Daily Email

Where should a Yeshiva student light the menorah?

A person who will be sleeping in one location and eating in another should light the menorah in the place where he eats. The poskim disagree on how this halacha pertains to a yeshiva student who sleeps in a dormitory and eats in a dining room in a different building. Some say that based on the above-mentioned ruling, he should light in the dining room. Others say that the hadlakah should take place in the dormitory. They explain that the student has some space which belongs to him exclusively in the dorm, whereas the dining room is a shared eating space.

[שו"ע תרעז, א, משנ"ב יב, וביה"ל ד"ה במקום; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 15]

If a person will be away must someone light in his home?

A person who will be sleeping away from his home during Chanukah should light the menorah where he is; he does not need to appoint a shaliach to light on his behalf at home. Some poskim maintain that if a person will only be away for some of the nights of Chanukah, he should appoint someone to light at his home. This opinion maintains that if a yeshiva student goes home for Shabbos, he must appoint someone to light for him in the yeshiva. One option to avoid this scenario would be for the yeshiva administration to rescind the students’ rights to live in the yeshiva during the break. The yeshiva would then no longer be considered their home. All opinions agree that if a person will be away from home for four or more nights of Chanukah, lighting at home is not necessary.

[משנ"ב תרעז, ז, וביה"ל ד"ה במקום; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 16]

Does a child need to light the menorah?

According to the Shulchon Aruch, there should only be one menorah lit at each home. Accordingly, a father has no chinuch obligation to have his child light the menorah. If, however, the child lives in his own home, the father should make sure that he lights the menorah. According to the Ashkenazic custom to have each person light his own menorah, a child should light the menorah as well. There is a minority opinion which maintains that since it is only a stringency for each household member to light, there is no mitzvah of chinuch to train a child to adopt this stringency.

[שו"ע תרעז, ב, ומשנ"ב יג; וראה ביה"ל תרעה, ג, ד"ה ולדידן]

A person who is not home at the time of menorah lighting is yotzei if someone else is lighting in his home. The lighter should intend to be motzei members of the household who are not presently home.

According to the basic halacha, all the members of a household can be yotzei with one menorah lighting. A temporary guest, however, cannot be yotzei this way.

The poskim disagree about whether an unmarried student who sleeps in a dormitory and eats his meals in school is yotzei with the lighting that takes place in his home.

Is all the remaining oil forbidden for personal benefit?

Can oil be saved from year to year?

Can a person who will be away recite a brocha if his wife will be lighting in his home?

PLEASE NOTE: The information in this email is for learning purposes only. Please review the Mishna Berura and Biurim U'Musafim before making a halachic decision. Hebrew words are occasionally transliterated to enable a smoother reading of the text. Common Ashkenazi pronunciation is generally used in these cases.