Chanukah lighting for a Yeshivah student

Hi Rabbi, I'm planning to stay at Yeshivah for Chanukah, but I've received a few invitations to Chanukah parties as well. I'm unsure where to light the menorah, should I light it at the Yeshivah?

Thank you for your question.

Indeed, this is a very complex question since it depends on each case individually. Therefore, I would like to simplify it and write the applicable halacha for each situation. This is based on the Shulchan Aruch, OH Siman 677.

A yeshiva student needs to light the Chanukah lights in the yeshiva even if he plans to later go to his parents' home. The reason is that since he was living in the yeshiva until the time of lighting, we consider the yeshiva his home at the time of lighting.
This halacha is applicable not only to one who is only planning to visit his parents but even in a case where one is planning to later sleep at his parents' home.

A yeshivah student who eats and sleeps in the yeshiva but decides to leave the yeshiva and go to his parents' home before the time of lighting has arrived, and plans to return to the yeshiva later, may light at his parents' home (although in this case, it would be even better if he eats a meal at his parents' home). Similarly, he could also appoint a shaliach who will light for him at the yeshiva and exempt him from having to light at his parents' home.

The reason for this is that even though we consider the yeshiva as the home for the yeshiva student, a parent's home is also considered his home when he is there. Therefore, he could light there even if he doesn’t plan to stay there overnight.

If, however, he plans to leave the yeshiva before the time of lighting has arrived, and he is not going to his parents' home but to a Chanukah party at a friend's home or with family (other than his parents), and then plans to return to the yeshiva later at night, he should appoint a shaliach to light his menorah in his place. He should not light at the place where he was invited for the Chanukah party.

The above halachot applies to a yeshiva student who generally eats and sleeps in the yeshiva. If, he only eats in the yeshiva but sleeps at his parents' home, then he would have to light at his parents' home, although it would be better that he also eats there later.

A yeshiva student who sleeps at his parents' home, and his yeshiva where he studies is in the same town and has there also a room to sleep, can choose where to light the Chanukah candles based on where he eats. Since le’chatchilah one should light at the place where he is eating, he can either eat in his room in the yeshiva and then light there, or he can eat at his parents' home and light there.

A student who follows the Sephardi custom .

A yeshiva student who follows the Sephardi custom, who studies in yeshiva and sleeps at home, does not need to light the Chanukah candles since he is exempted by the lighting that his father did at home.

If, however, the student lives in the yeshiva and only goes home for a visit once every few weeks, then he should light in the yeshiva but should not recite the blessing, if it's possible to then listen to the blessings of someone else lighting or to listen to the blessings recited in the synagogue. (Although many Sephardic rabbis say that in this case one should not light at all, it would be better to at least participate with someone else lighting by contributing a perutah (around ten agorot)). If he plans to go home one day of Chanukah, then on that day he is exempt from lighting since he is exempted by his father's lighting, and he doesn’t even need to contribute a perutah with his father.

Sometimes there are instances where a Sephardi student does need to light the Chanukah lights and even needs to recite the blessings and that is when;

1. He lights the Chanukah candles before his father.

2. His parents are not lighting at their home but somewhere else.

If the bachur who follows the Sephardi custom is invited by someone even for one day of Chanukah, he should contribute a perutah and participate in the lighting of his host.

Wishing you a Chanukah Sa’meach.

Shulcha Aruch OH siman 677

Azamroh Lishmech page 77