When to Light the Hanukkah Candles

When to Light the Hanukkah Candles Day: Thursday Date: November 29, 2018 Parshat: Vayeshev Yalkut Yosef: O"H: 671 Sponsored by Skilled Moving and Storage. Professional and honest movers serving Los Angeles. www.SkilledMoving.com 323-746-3279 The ideal time to light the hanukkiah is at tzet hakochavim. The candles need to be big enough or contain enough oil to stay lit for the next half hour. If one did not light at that time he may still light all the way until amud hashahar at the end of that night. A person who lit less than a half hour before amud hashahar still says a beracha on the lighting, even though the candles will have been lit for less than a half hour before amud hashahar. Beginning from a half hour before the candle lighting time it is forbidden to start a meal. In this case a meal refers to eating more than about two ounces of bread, cake, or cookies. Less than this amount of bread and cake, or any amount of other foods, may be eaten within that half hour. A person who is waiting for someone else to light on his behalf may eat if he needs to. One may also not start working or learning Torah before lighting the candles. However, with regards to learning Torah the prohibition starts from the time of candle lighting, not from a half hour before. Daily Sephardic Halacha is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Visit us online at sephardichalacha.org