Chanukah - Menorah Branch Arrangement

QUESTION: Must the candles in a Menorah be arranged in a straight line, or can they be arranged in a half circle or a zigzag pattern?

ANSWER: The Rema (671:4) writes that one should not use a Menorah that is in the shape of a circle, since the flames may combine to form one large torch. Each flame of the Chanukah menorah must be a single flame. One does not fulfill the mitzvah if one lights torches. However, if the candles are separate and are spaced an inch apart, then strictly speaking one can light candles in a circular formation (Mishnah Berurah 671:16). Still, Rav Pe’alim (OC 4:30) writes that the optimal way to perform the mitzvah of Chanukah is with a Menorah in which all the candles are in a straight line. This is because Chanukah commemorates the candles of the Beis Hamikdash, and the Menorah in the Beis Hamikdash was lit in a straight line.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.