Answer by Rabbi Chaim Hillel Raskin – Rov in Kfar Chabad Beis, Israel:
Chanuka candles are for pirsumei nisa, and in the times of the Gemara, they were required to be lit when people were passing by outside, which was during the first half hour after nightfall.
Therefore, the minimum amount of time that they must burn is 30 minutes. Some poskim hold this applies only when lighting outdoors, when different people pass by throughout the half hour, and not when lighting in the house for the family for which a shorter time suffices. Yet, the consensus amongst the majority of poskim is that even Chanuka candles lit indoors should burn for a full half hour.
Children should be educated to light their own Chanuka candles from the age of six onwards. The obligation of chinuch requires educating the child to fulfill the mitzva properly with all of its components. Thus, it is imperative to ensure that one’s children light their menorah with all the specifications of halacha. Besides, the objective is to train the child to fulfill the mitzva in the halachic manner when he gets older.
Many of the cheaper candles on the market do not burn for the necessary amount of time, and an adult may not recite a bracha over them. Some acharonim posit that a child may fulfill his obligation with such candles, since they burn for almost the full shiur, and in the child’s mind he has fulfilled the mitzva. Yet, if chinuch mandates fulfilling the mitzva properly (as mentioned above), the child must light with the correct shiur.
Similarly, the basic mitzva of menorah is to light one candle per night (per household), and it is only the mehadrin min hamehadrin to add an additional candle each night. Some poskim therefore write that chinuch doesn’t apply to hiddurim and one candle a night suffices for a child. However, many contend that even children should add each night, and that is indeed the custom.
In practice, one should endeavor for a child over six to light candles that burn for a full half hour. If this isn’t feasible, at least one of the candles – the minimum mitzva – should burn for that time length. Similarly, candles for Shabbos Chanuka should contain at least one that will burn for 50 minutes (i.e. 30 minutes after nightfall) so he will fulfill the basic mitzva.
Children under six who light a menorah may use shorter candles since they aren’t yet obligated by chinuch.
Published in the Weekly Farbrengen from Merkaz Anash. See sources
Seems we need to boycot the candles that are too small, then they’ll stop selling them and all will be kosher.
Good candles available. Also, there are mivtzoim kits with the long candles that last the proper amount of time. It is a peleh that they still sell the small candles and that they still give them out on mivtzoim. We bought cases of kits with the long candles. If money is an issue, just think of what the Rebbe wants from us.
This is what I’m using this year as I bought four boxes. It’s kind of annoying that they are even available, and I didn’t know about this before.
There are new color candles on the market that last 50+ min, in certain places they started using them for mivtzoim as well
I timed many types of candles and they all lasted 30 mins.
If a child who is doing the mitzvah for chinuch reasons and he can’t use the colorful ones then why can bochurim give them to adults on mivtzoyim??????
Question: if these candles aren’t good enough for our kids to light even for chinuch, why are we ok with handing them out to tens of thousands of yidden for mivtzoim?
Challenge: create a menorah kit with candles which last the appropriate time, while competing with the cost efficiency of the current menorah kits.