by Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com
You have a Chanukah party or a wedding to attend. Or even a dinner date with our spouse. And the question arises: Is one permitted to extinguish the Chanukah candles after they have been lit for thirty minutes? Last year, there was a fire in a shul where the Chanukah lights were left unwatched. What should we do?
The Shulchan Aruch (672:2) rules that it is permissible to do so. The Mogain Avrohom, however, writes that one should avoid doing so. This is also the view of some other authorities as well (Bach, Chayei Odom, and Eliyahu Rabbah). Indeed, the Bach’s opinion is that one is also not permitted to benefit from the leftover oil, since it was used for a Mitzvah.
The Chayei Odom also writes that if he had just filled up the lamp with oil without thinking about it, the tacit assumption should be that the oil should not be used afterward for other purposes, since it was used for a Mitzvah and he did not anticipate it being put out on account of his love for Mitzvos.
However, it is cited in the name of both the Chofetz Chaim (Meir Einei Yisroel Vol. I p. 62) as well as the Chazon Ish (Orchos Rabbeinu Vol. III Chanukah #45 both cited in Sukkas Chaim p. 112) that they did put out the Chanukah candles after 30 minutes.
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The Aruch HaShulchan also writes that the general custom is to allow extinguishing the flame, but if one’s minhag is not to do so, then one should follow his own Minhag.
Certainly, if one must leave, then one should extinguish it on account of the danger involved in leaving burning candles as well as the Torah Mitzvah of taking safety precautions. The Torah mitzvah one fulfills is “V’nishmartem me’od l’nafshoseichem” (Devarim 4:15) which stipulates that one must take safety precautions and protect oneself and others.
Fire is extremely dangerous and many people have been injured or killed, R”l, when proper safety measures were not taken regarding Chanukah flames. The other mitzvos of Chanukah are d’Rabbanan.
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7 Responses
At the time of lighting, if I have plans of leaving the house later, I’ll use less oil than I would normally, so they’ll go out on their own before I leave.
Perhaps a certain unnamed Posek would recommend only lighting one candle per night, in this age of unprecedented Chumra in Safek Pikuach Nefesh….
Excellent, as usual.
I would add one important point. Even if you think you have the minhag to leave them alone till they burn out, the Machatzis Hashekel says you can make a tnai. If you make a tnai, there IS NO MINHAG TO LEAVE THEM BURNING!
As R Shvadron says in Daas Torah, the Machatzis Hashekel holds that tnai only helps for extinguishing but not for using the oil. But we’re not talking about using the oil. For extinguishing, there is no competent poseik that says that you can not extinguish if you made a tnai.
You can make the tnai in kol nidrei, if that will make you happier.
I believe this would only apply the neiros that are lit in the house. However for the neiros that are lit in shul, it would seem that there is a basis to rely on the posekim who permit extinguishing them even before 30 minutes, after davening is over (See Shu”t Melamed Leho’il O”C 121, and Shu”t Rivevos Ephraim 3:453:1). This is worth mentioning because the author’s juxtaposition of the halachic analysis above with the story of the burning shul might lead the reader to think otherwise.
Ppl are not aware, that even if one wants to blow out candles after 30 minutes, Rav chain kanievsky and others hold 30 minutes is shaos zemanios, meaning a half an hour could really be around 37 minutes. See shu”t mekadesh yisroel chanuka Simon 138-2.
If I have to go out I blow them out, but when I come home I relight them and let them burn out.
The problem is on Shabbos, when they can’t be blown out so if you go to shul they must be left burning. So the only thing to be done is to make sure the lights are very stable; choose a menorah with a low center of gravity, with cups resting directly on a base rather than the kind that looks like the beis hamikdosh’s menorah with cups on top of branches that all stand on one leg, all of which could topple over ch”v. And put it on a non-flammable surface. I also float the oil on a layer of water, so when the lights burn down the water puts them out.
Take every possible precaution in terms of choice of the menorah’s configuration, stability of the oil receptacles or candles, placement on a non-flammable surface away from combustibles, etc. However, the bottom line is always to err on the side of safety if you have to leave and are worried about potential fire risk.