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Our shul has a minyan for mincha before sunset and for maariv after sunset. Between the two, the chanuka lights are kindled. There is a later maariv minyan; the chanuka lights are again kindled before this maariv.

This gives rise to the following questions (which could not be posed to the Rav last night – the first night - as he was away):

1) I lit the lights in shul after mincha and went home to light there. Should I have said the brocho “shehecheyonu” at home after saying it in shul? (I light one menora for me and my wife.) Related question.

2) When the second minyan for maariv assembled, should the one lighting the lights have made the brochos (a) if he had already lit at home and (b) if he had not lit at home? Could you say that the blessings had already been made on this menora and are not needed again?

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  • The simple solution which avoids any problems is for your wife to light the menorah belonging to the two of you.
    – Double AA
    Dec 19, 2022 at 16:00

1 Answer 1

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Shaarei Teshuva 671:11 says:

If you are the lighter in shul by mincha, you say all brachos in shul. When you go home, you will not say shehecheyanu unless you are saying it for others.

If you lit at home and said all of the brachos, you still say all of the brachos when lighting in shul later, including shehecheyanu.

I think the reasoning is that each new minyan is a new obligation, even if everyone in the minyan already lit individually. I tried looking up the zera emes, but couldn't find a teshuva on chanuka. I am unfamiliar with the roshei teivos for the sefer that quotes him. In a cleaner copy of my Shulchan Aruch it looks like mem-ches-beis. Anyone?

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  • Mem ches bais stands for Minchas Boruch
    – user4594
    Dec 5, 2013 at 10:40

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