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Is it better to light candles at bezman, or later when there will be more pirsumei nissa? I find 4:30 (approx candlelighting time in NYC this year) to be too early to catch the regular "rush hour." Is it better to delay so as to achieve more pirsumei nissa? Assume I have limited sized candles.

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Wasn't that time that Chazal made because of pirsumei nissa? (i.e. at this time there will be the most pirsumei nissa)? – Yehoshua Dec 9 '12 at 11:22
@Yehoshua At their time, yes, but our travel habits are no longer tied to the sun so nowadays there isn't as much pirsumei nisa just after sunset in the winter. – Double AA♦ Dec 9 '12 at 13:58
If that's changed why hasn't the "ikar zman" also changed? I realized that's the answer to my question, I'm just pointing out that the whole thing is different now a days. So where is the advantage exactly of ikar zman and pirsumei nissa? – Yehoshua Dec 9 '12 at 14:08
@Yehoshua Maybe it has. Alternatively, maybe we stick to the original ikar zman when all else is equal (eg. when lighting on a table in your dining room) but when there is actual pirsumei nisa benefits, we change to the zman that fits nowadays. – Double AA♦ Dec 9 '12 at 15:27
that's the question and is the same discussion year after year. Each situation (lighting inside, outside, zmanim, etc) can be looked at in different situations. If one is lighting inside maybe one should anyway light by the ikar zman. Or maybe then it doesn't matter what time. And when lighting outside maybe we should stick to the ikar zman or perhaps since the metzias has changed we should then light later (or can light later.) – Yehoshua Dec 9 '12 at 16:22
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Rama Orach Chaim 672:2 says that even when you light it indoors in a place where those outside can not see the Menorah it should also be done on time.

Per Kav HaYashar 96 you should light as soon as possible, since Mitzva Habaa L'Yodcha Al Tachmitzena.

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A good point but I think you are making too much of a generalization for the question. Suppose this was in modern day Israel (candle-lighting time approx 4:40) or I was lighting outdoors in the USA. How do we balance these competing values? – Double AA♦ Dec 13 '11 at 19:47
Why mark the two vowels in 'Yodcha' with different letters when they are both Komatzim? – Double AA♦ Dec 9 '12 at 6:17

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