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There's an interesting way of lighting Chanukah candles that I've seen some people do. On the first night, the lighting is similar to the 'standard', wherein all three blessings are said before the lighting. However, from the second night and onwards, after saying the first Bracha (Lehadlik Ner Shel Chanukah), the person lights the first candle, and after saying the second Bracha (Sheasah Nissim), lights the remaining candles.

Has anyone else seen this before, and if so, does anyone know a source for this?

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  • What about the first night? They make all three Brachos before lighting?
    – user6591
    Dec 29, 2016 at 23:04
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    @user6591 Yes. It's a Brisker thing IINM, because only on the latter nights is there a way to be machmir for seeing it without compromising over laasiyasan.
    – Double AA ♦
    Dec 29, 2016 at 23:20

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Yes! My family does this.

The Ritva mentions this minhag on Shabbos 23a, נס כל יומא ויומא איתא.

ויש אומרים כי הראשונה שהיא ברכת המצוה צריך לברך תחלה, אבל השתים האחרות אומרם אחר שהתחיל להדליק שיהא רואה נסו ויברך עליו כעין הרואה נר חנוכה, ואין לשנות בזה המנהג

And some say that you have to say the first bracha first because that's the bracha on the mitzva, but the other two you say after you start to light similar to seeing someone else's candles, and you should not change this minhag.

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    Not quite. The Ritva mentions a similar Minhag that applies each day, including the first, and after all candles are lit, not just the first. The OP asked about doing this on only the latter days and after the first candle.
    – Double AA ♦
    Dec 29, 2016 at 2:26
  • @DoubleAA goode remark, but may be that there is a kind of tseruf of the shita of Ritba lechumra for the first candle which is the mitsva meyikar hadin. So for the first candle only the Ritba generates a problem of Hefsek.
    – kouty
    Dec 29, 2016 at 8:35
  • @Heshy see my comment to DoubleAA, you can modify the answer, saying that your family is metsaref the shita of the Ritba lechumra. And since the first candle only makes a problem if there is hefsek after the enlighting by dibbur of the last berachot which need not over leassiatan, they are said before the second candle, since there is no more problem of hefesk.
    – kouty
    Dec 29, 2016 at 8:38
  • @DoubleAA he says אחר שהתחיל להדליק, that doesn't sound like it's after all candles are lit. But you're right about the first night. I think I saw another source but I have to find it.
    – Heshy
    Dec 29, 2016 at 11:11
  • But the svara of the Ritba, שיהא רואה ניסו can be understood as this, "we need at least one candle enlightened for the beracha שעשה ניסים +1
    – kouty
    Dec 29, 2016 at 12:22
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Darkei Moshe brings something very similar (but not exactly the same) in siman 676 in the name of Rabeinu Yerucham in the name of Rabbeinu Yona.

שבליל ראשון מברך כל ג׳ ברכות קודם ההדלקה כדי שיהיו עובר לעשייתן ובליל שני מברך קודם הדלקה להדליק ושעשה ניסים לאחר הדלקת נר ראשון קודם שידליק נר שני שהוא נס אותו היום וכן בליל שלישי על נר שלישי וכן בכל הלילות היה מברך שעשה ניסים על נר שמוסיף באותו הלילה אבל לא ראיתי רבותי נוהגין כן עד כאן לשונו וכן כתב אבודרהם בשם ה׳ר יונה.‏

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