How many candles do you light each night of Hanukkah?

Adding each night

The Talmud records a debate: Beit Shammai held one starts with eight and decreases; Beit Hillel held one starts with one and increases, because “we increase in holiness and do not decrease”. The law follows Beit Hillel. The basic obligation is one light per household per night; adding a candle each night is the beautified practice that everyone follows.

The order

On the first night the candle is placed on the far right of the menorah. Each night a new candle is added to its left, and the newest (leftmost) candle is lit first, moving rightwards. The shamash stands apart, higher or lower, so it is not counted among the Hanukkah lights.

Who lights

In many Ashkenazi homes every member of the family lights his own menorah; in Sephardi homes one menorah is lit for the household.

The blessings

Two blessings each night – lehadlik ner shel Hanukkah and she’asah nissim – and on the first night also Shehecheyanu. The candles must burn at least half an hour after nightfall.

Where and when

The menorah is placed by a door or window facing the street, to publicise the miracle; in the Talmud’s time on the left side of the entrance, opposite the mezuzah. It is lit at nightfall (some at sunset), and on Friday afternoon before the Shabbat candles, with longer candles so that they burn half an hour after dark. On Saturday night it is lit after Shabbat ends.

Total count

Over eight nights, adding one candle each night, a household lights 36 candles, or 44 including the shamash.