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Every night of Chanukah we light candles on the Chanukiah after the sun goes down. The shamash, or “helper candle” is lit and then is used to light the others. On the first night of Chanukah we light one candle with the shamash, on the second night we light two, and so on. The candles are put in the Chanukiah starting on the right side, but are lit left to right so the newest is first. We say two or three prayers after we have put the candles in the Chanukiah.
The first prayer we say before lighting any of our candles:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר חֲנֻכָּה
Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech ha-olam a-sher ki-de-sha-nu be-mitz-vo-tav ve-tzi-va-nu le-had-lik ner Cha-nu-kah.
Blessed are You, Lord our G‑d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah light.
Then, we light the candles and say this prayer:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁעָשָׂה נִסִּים לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם בִּזְּמַן הַזֶּה
Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech Ha-olam she-a-sa ni-sim la-avo-te-nu ba-ya-mim ha-hem bi-zman ha-zeh.
Blessed are You, Lord our G‑d, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days, at this time.
On the first night of Chanukah, we also say another prayer. The Shechechiyanu is said whenever something is new or special. Jews will say the Shechechiyanu on the Jewish new year or when someone has a bar or bat mitzvah, but it can also be said when someone tries a new food or on the first day of school.
Since Chanukah has just started, let's say the Shechechiyanu:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לִזְּמַן הַזֶּה
Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech Ha-olam she-heche-ya-nu ve-ki-yi-ma-nu ve-higi-a-nu liz-man ha-zeh.
Blessed are You, ruler of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.
To groove through the Festival of Light with your family, check out this playlist on Spotify if you have it–there’s so much more Chanukah music than the dreidel song! Or just click on the songs below to view a few videos.
- The Maccabeats - Candlelight
- Don McLean - Dreidel
- Six13 - Chanukah (Shake It Off)
- Debbie Friedman - The Latke Song
- Barenaked Ladies - Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah
- Peter, Paul and Mary - Light One Candle
- Alisa Fineman - Ocho Kandelikas
- Speakaboos - Maoz Tzur
- Shaboom! - Chanukah Oh Chanukah!
And a few more ...
Jodie Friedman is the Program Associate at Hevreh of Southern Berkshire in Great Barrington. Hevreh of Southern Berkshire is a destination for Jewish Life, Learning, and Community in the southern Berkshires. The Hebrew word "Hevreh" means friendship — a word that states Hevreh of Southern Berkshire's purpose — to be a community of friends in a Jewish context.
