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1. mik5
   Member

   So I had a very hard time lighting the menorah tonight b/c the flame kept going out as I was trying to transfer it from the Shamash candle to the Hanukkah candle. If the flame goes out before you can light, do you have to repeat the brochos? What if you already lit one candle from the Shamash (which is the basic mitzvah) and then the Samash goes out?

   What happened today was I lit seven candles plus the Shamash (after a great deal of struggle). One of the candles died before 30 min. elapsed. Is it permitted to blow out the rest of the candles, and light all of them over again (w/o a bracha) so they can burn for 30 min? [This is what I did, b/c I had no way of relighting that particular candle alone b/c it was already dead, and the menorah was hot, and I was afraid to get burnt if I tried to stick in a new candle!]

   Posted 4 months ago #

2. chulent dude
   Member

   There was something done wrong there, but you must ask a rav this she'ila not the CR

   Posted 4 months ago #

3. mik5
   Member

   what did i do wrong, dude?

   Posted 4 months ago #

4. HaLeiVi
   HaLeiVi is Supposedly not Joseph

   I don't think you make another Bracha, unless you have a significant Hefsek. You'll have to consult LOR for verification and details.

   If a Ner burned out you have two things going for you. First of all, you are already Yotze with the first one. Secondly, the Halacha is that as long as you lit it well in a way that it should burn for the half hour, then even if it goes out you were Yotze. We are Noheg to relight it but that is not the basic Halacha.

   You are not allowed to put the candles out before the half hour. Putting them out to relight a candle would be doing what you shouldn't do, without any gain.

   Posted 4 months ago #

5. HaLeiVi
   HaLeiVi is Supposedly not Joseph

   Why are you having a hard time? Is the area drafty? Are the wicks covered with wax?

   Posted 4 months ago #

6. mik5
   Member

   HaLeivi - thanks. i told my brother (a minor) that he could blow out the candles - which he always likes to do after 30 min. - so that we could relight all of them again (which, as you say, it is proper - even if not necessary - to do). How can I relight if I'm going to get burnt if I stick my hand there?

   As for why I'm having a problem, the candles just burn out. First, they burn very strongly, and then they die out. You're saying that if I lit properly and one or more of the candles goes out before 30 min., it's fine and I have no need to relight it? (The obligation is to have ONE candle per night, but we light an additional candle each successive night for hiddur mitzvah.)

   Also,

   we have a rule that there should be no interruption or speech between a bracha on a mitzvah and the performance of the mitzvah itself. (think tefillin, kiddush, etc.) So if I light the shamash, bless, and then it goes out before I can transfer the flame to even a single candle, I THINK it might be proper to repeat the blessings (especially if the going out of the flame causes me to speak). However, wouldn't the previous blessings then become blessings in vain? Discuss.

   Posted 4 months ago #

7. mik5
   Member

   would you blow out the candles if c"v they were starting a fire - and then relight in a more careful way if 30 min. have not yet elapsed?

   Posted 4 months ago #

8. mik5
   Member

   I think Hashem might be sending me a message with this kind of difficulty I'm experiencing with my menorah (the other nights, it wasn't so bad - on Friday, they burnt out before nightfall, but this night I felt that I was REALLY having a hard time b/c the flame of the shamash kept dying out).

   Posted 4 months ago #

9. Sam2
   Member

   Mik5: As long as you are involved in fixing up the Mitzvah and don't speak/do anything else, you wouldn't make another Bracha no matter how long it takes you to do it. I recently had to tell someone who has having a lot of trouble with his wicks not to make another Bracha even though it was almost 10 minutes because he literally spent every second of that involved in fixing up his wicks. (Asking me if he had to make another Bracha may have been a Hefsek so I preempted him by telling him "Just light, don't make another Bracha, don't speak at all, I'll explain after."

   You are not allowed to blow out the candles before they have been lit long enough. Pikuach Nefesh always trumps everything. Also, since it's an Asei D'Rabannan, you could blow them out to avoid serious financial harm, which your house burning down would constitute in a situation where there is no Pikuach Nefesh.

   If they were starting a fire and you lit in a way that would lead to that then you probably weren't Yotzei and would need to light again with new Brachos afterwards. If for some reason an Ones happened that made them start a fire, you should definitely put them out and may have to relight, so the relighting should be done without a Bracha.

   Posted 4 months ago #

10. chulent dude
    Member

    exactly the problems that haleivi said i was thinking abt

    Posted 4 months ago #

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