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Lighting Chanukah Candles with Drip

Before Channukah comes to an official end…

If someone has a glass where there drips into it oil from above however b’shas hadlaka there is not enough oil in the glass to light for a half hour. However the oil drips fast enough that it’ll fill the cup and will indeed stay lit for a half hour and even more. Is this ok to use? Is someone yotzei the mitzvah in this way?

Also, what is the din if someone has a cup with a small hole in it and oil is dripping out, however there will be enough oil to light for a half hour.

Answer:

I don’t see a problem with either case. I think the halachos of remaining lit for half an hour depend on the technical ability to remain lit for the required period of time. If at the time of lighting the lit candle ought to burn for the required time — for whatever reason — the mitzvah is fulfilled.

The only problem is when at the time of lighting there isn’t enough oil, and the person lighting relies on adding oil later. This is problematic because the mitzvah depends on the time of lighting.

If you have sources on this please add them in.

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1 Comment

  1. In the sefer Maoros Nosson on Channukah he brings down this shailo in 2 places (Siman 53 and 61). In both places he first quotes the Sefer Morei Aish from R’ Shlomo Zalman Aurbach (see here http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=8861&st=&pgnum=200) that discussed this point agav in his discussion about whether or not electric lights can be used on Channukah. I’m sure the connection is understood on it’s own. In any case he brings a tzad to say that it wouldn’t be good to light the candles in such a way. The Maoros Nosson then brings down from the sefer ShuT “Mor V’Aholos” (see here: http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=319&st=&pgnum=127&hilite=) that in our case it wouldn’t be good because it is similar to what it says in SA Siman 675 Sif Beis that all of the oil must be present at the time of the lighting. However one can argue that our case is different and not exactly like SA since really the Oil is there to some extent and has a possibility to go in, in the case of SA it takes an action of behalf of someone else to put in the oil. The Maoros Nosson in Siman 53 however brings proofs to show that it should be ok in our case. Unfortunately I did not have the time when I found the sefer to read through his whole discussion there but I do plan on reading it.

    As for an additional source to this shailo see the sefer Adnei Paz (see here: – http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=319&st=&pgnum=127&hilite=) on SA Orach Chaim in Siman 675 that says (going on the din in sif beis) that if one had kavana at the time of the hadlaka to add shemen afterwards even if it’s not there at the moment of the hadlaka that they are still yotzee. However tzrich iyun on this.

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