The Hanukkiah….

The menorah is properly called a Hanukkiah. 

Rules: It may be lit any time after sundown, except on Friday evening when it should be lit prior to Shabbat candles. The shammash – usually the highest one- is lit first, and it is used to light the rest of the candles. On the first night of Chanukah, the shammash is used to light one candle. On the second night, it is used to light two.  The candles are placed in the Hanukkiah from right to left as one faces it, but are lit from left to right.

After the shammash is lit, but before the rest of the candles are lit, three blessings are recited the first night, and two on each remaining night. These and the following prayers can be found in Sim Shalom Prayer book on page 307.  Only on the first night of Chanukah the She-he˙eyyanu blessing is recited. The candles are then lit.

After the lighting, it is customary to recite the paragraph Ha-neirot Hallalu, which makes explicit the purpose of lighting the Hanukkiah and the prohibition of making practical use of the light it casts.  This is followed by singing of Ma.oz Tzur (Rock of Ages), the most famous of all Chanukah songs.

The Hanukkiah should be placed in a window, a doorway, or any place where it will visible from the street. This is done because the express purpose of this mitzvah is to publicize the miracle that happened so long ago.