Lightbulbs & Chanukah

Chanukah and Kwanzaa are just around the corner, with festive meals and flickering flames serving as key elements of both holidays. But where candles and cooking—particularly cooking that includes frying—present potential fire hazards, it’s important to follow safety precautions and guidelines to help ensure festive, fire-free celebrations.

When it comes to cooking during Chanukah and Kwanza, keep in mind that grease pan frying dominates the home cooking fire problem.

According to NFPA data, from 2019 to 2023, cooking oil, fat, grease, and related substances were first ignited in half (50 percent) of the home cooking fires that began with cooking materials. Almost three-fifths (55 percent) of the civilian deaths and more than three-quarters of the civilian injuries (77 percent) and direct property damage (78 percent) associated with cooking material or food ignition resulted from these cooking oil or grease fires.

We Jewish people love our Saute/fried dishes. One however has the Mitzah to take care of ones self and ones neighbor. How can we resolve the issue? Do our Sages offer any relief from the Tora?

We find in Shabbat 21b that all wicks and oils are valid for Chanukah. Therefore what is brought down from Chacham Yosef Messas in Shu”t Mayim Haim is quiet interesting to say the least, Messas bases himself on the current Gemara, in doing so he rules that an electric bulb is just like any candle.

One does not need much proof to prove that oil and electrical current are different.

The statement explains that the bulb’s wire filament is related to a wick and produces a bright fire like light.

Sighting two opinions

We find that the

Maharal rules that the Chanukah lights must be similar to those that were used in the Temple, namely oil and standard wicks, on the face of this Chacham Ovadia Yosef tz"l in Hazon Ovadia disputes Chacham Messas’ claim that electric bulbs would be permissible

but writes, however, that if one is in a situation where one cannot light Chanukah candles with either oil or wax candles, one may, in fact, light an electric Menora without reciting a blessing. Additionally, the electric bulbs must be laid in a place where it is not usually placed the rest of the year for it to be noticeable that these are in fact Chanukah candles.

Additionlly we find in Shalme Moed, pg. 200 and in Kovetz T'shuvot, vol. 3 that both rule that if someone does not have access to conventional oils or candles for Chanukah, one may use and even make a blessing over an incandescent bulb (LED bulbs are invalid).

Chacham Ben Zion Abba Shaul adds that a battery in a battery-operated electric light fulfills the requirement of oil.