Q&A from the Bais HaVaad Halacha Hotline

Location, Location, Location

December 26, 2024

Q The only window in my apartment that overlooks a public street is in a storage room in the back. Should I light the menorah there or in a room we actually live in?

A The ideal place to light the menorah is outdoors, at the doorway to a public thoroughfare (O.C. 671:5), to fulfill the precept of pirsumei nisa (publicizing the miracle). In Eretz Yisrael this remains the practice, but in Chutz La’aretz, for several reasons, most people light inside their homes (see Rama ibid. 7). In this case, pirsumei nisa is primarily for members of the household.

When lighting indoors, the menorah should be positioned near the doorway, as it would be placed outdoors (Rama ibid.). But indoors, this is only a minhag (Biur Halacha ibid. and Igros Moshe O.C. 4:125).

When lighting indoors, it is most advantageous to place the menorah at a window that opens to reshus harabim (the public domain), in order to also effect public pirsumei nisa. This is preferable to placing it near a doorway, where it cannot be seen by the public (Mishnah Brurah ibid. 38). Still, when lighting indoors, pirsumei nisa for your household takes precedence over that of the public (Kovetz Halachos 9:5), so put the menorah in a central location within your home rather than at a remote window.