Bais HaVaad on the Parsha, Parshas Vayeishev

Fire Away

December 19, 2024

Excerpted and adapted from a shiur by Rav Yosef Jacobovits

The Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 677:1) says that if a person eats in one house and sleeps in another, he should light Chanukah candles where he sleeps. According to the Rama, he should light where he eats.

The Mishnah Brurah writes that if one visits a friend for dinner one night but is not sleeping there, he still lights at home, because the Rama is referring to someone who has a fixed location for eating and sleeping. In contrast, the Biur Halacha, citing the Pri Chadash, says that if one goes away for all eight days of Chanukah, he lights where he is staying, even if he occasionally returns home to eat.

Contemporary poskim disagree about where to light if one goes away for one day (either a weekday or Shabbos). Rav Elyashiv and ybl”c R’ Shmuel Kamenetsky hold that he must light where he is staying for the majority of Chanukah (and send a proxy to light there if he is elsewhere). But the Chovas Hadar says he may light where he is staying that night, which is the commonly accepted minhag. (The others may agree if he is not in his own city.)

Poskim also disagree about where to light on motza’ei Shabbos if one was away for Shabbos and is returning home that night. According to R’ Shmuel Kamenetsky, he may light before he leaves, because this is an extension of Shabbos. According to R’ Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, he may light there if he stays at least half an hour after Shabbos, while the Chovas Hadar says he must stay a few hours. R’ Yaakov Forchheimer suggests he leave a large sign on his door reminding himself to light, and then light when he returns home. (This would also allow him to eat.)