Tuesday 20 December 2016

halacha - Does the order of lights in a menorah face the house or the street?


I have always been taught that lights in a chanukiah should be inserted from right to left. So on the first four nights, only lights to the right of the shamash are lit (assuming a shamash in the center). But the mitzvah of lights is persumei nissa - publicizing the miracle - so we are to light a chanukiah in the window.



Regarding the chanukiah(s) in the window, is this right-to-left order with respect to the lighters in the house or the viewers on the street?



Answer



The lighters. This is clear from (for example) Mishna B'rura 676:11 ("he turns and continues toward the right", "he should position himself on the left side at the time of lighting"). It's also what I've always seen done.


That said, this answer addresses your question precisely, which asks about lighting in a window, not in a doorway, and which assumes the halacha is that we light the rightmost lights, which is itself a matter of dispute.


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