Question: Is it better for someone to leave work or stop what they’re doing so they can light at the zman or is it ok to stay and light much later?

Answer: Ideally one should go home and light in the zman (within first 30 minutes after tzais hakochavim). This is not always practical, so if necessary she can light later. One can recite a brocha until the time it is common to find people on the street (in Baltimore 10:30 PM). If she lights after 10:30 PM, she can light until dawn but can only recite a bracha until 30 minutes before dawn and only if someone in her apartment is awake when she lights.

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Question: If a woman doesn't generally light and her husband goes out of town, should she light at home? If she has a son over bar mitzvah is it better if he lights for her?

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Answer: If she is the only one home, she must light at home. She cannot be yotzai with her husband who lights elsewhere (but under certain conditions her husband can be yotzai with her lighting). She also cannot be yotzai at someone else’s house. If a son over Bar Mitzva is home, she can be yotzai with his lighting on behalf of the household.

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Question: How long do Chanukah candles need to be lit? Is it okay to blow them out for safety reasons if you need to leave the house and they were lit for the required amount of time?

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Answer: There needs to be enough oil to burn for 30 minutes after being lit. If one lights before tzais hakochavim (e.g., on Erev Shabbos, if they lit at plag hamincha because they are leaving town, or their custom is to light between sunset and tzais hakochavim), there must be enough oil for the candles to burn until 30 minutes after tzais hakochavim. Tzais Hakochavim is 50 minutes after sunset so there must be enough oil to burn until 80 minutes after sunset. For example, if sunset is at 4:55 PM. and one lights at 4:15 PM, there should be enough oil to burn for two hours - until 6:15 PM. On weeknights, once they have burned long enough, it is permissible to blow them out but one should have in mind when lighting that they plan on blowing them out.

 

Question: Does a single woman who lives with her parents but is staying with friends out of town over Chanukah need to light a menorah at her friend’s house?

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Answer: Ideally, she should give 25 cents to the owner of the oil to have a portion in that house’s lighting (and have in mind not to be yotzai with her own family’s lighting taking place in a different city). If her friend’s father lights, she will be yotzai with him. If her friend lights, she will be yozai with her. Furthermore, she should try to be present for the brachos and lighting or at least hear the recitation of someone reciting the brachos at a different location. Of course, she herself can light at her friend’s house. Again, all of this assumes she is sleeping there that night. If necessary, she can rely on the lighting in her own home where she lives, but that lighting has to take place when she is already in a zman that she is already chayiv.
 

Question: Where does the minhag of giving gelt to children on Chanukah come from? Is it better to give children gelt or gifts or do they accomplish the same goal? What if the child is too young and cannot appreciate the gelt?

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Answer:While there is no obligation per se to give gifts or gelt, some explain the minhag of Chanukah gelt began when parents would send money to their children’s Rebbi and others in need. It was then also given to the children so that the needy would not be embarrassed to receive Chanukah gelt. If someone wants to give something for Chanukah and feels a gift is more appropriate than gelt, that is fine.

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Question: If a husband or wife comes home significantly later than the other, should one light without their spouse or should they wait to light together?

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Answer: The custom is to wait. However, if the spouse coming home late is mochel, one can light without the spouse present. Around 40 years ago, Rabbi Yissocher Frand gave a lecture about Sholom Bayis. In the shiur he said that he asked the Rosh HaYeshiva, Harav Ruderman zt”l what to say. Rav Ruderman said to tell them about Reb Nachum’ke of Horodna. This 19th Century pious sage who was a Rebbi of the Chofetz Chaim was known for his stringencies. However, on Chanukah when his wife once came home late, he waited for her to light rather than light in the l’chatchila zman without her. He explained that if a family can only afford either candles for Shabbos or candles for Chanukah, halacha states they should use the candles for Shabbos as they are for shalom bayis and that takes precedence even over the pirsumei nissah of Chanukah candles. So, waiting for a spouse, if it will bring shalom bayis, takes precedence over lighting in the optimum time.