Important Upcoming and Relevant Chanukah Halachos (2)
There is a prohibition to derive benefit from the light of the Chanukah Menorah. There are 3 reasons for this: 1. It is an embarrassment to the mitzvah to count money, perform menial tasks, etc. by the light of the holy Menorah (1). 2. If one uses the lights for his own benefit, it might appear to others as if he lit them for his own needs and not to commemorate the Chanukah miracle (2). 3. The Sages decreed that our Menorah should be like the Menorah in the Bais Hamikdash, from which we were prohibited to use for our personal needs (3).
Laws of this Prohibition. Some of these laws apply because of the first reason mentioned above, and some apply because of the second and third reasons. For brevity’s sake, we will not detail which activities go into which reason. It is prohibited to count money, read a note or book by the light of the Menorah if the room is somewhat dark (4). The reason why we light an extra ner called the Shamash and we situate it a bit higher than the other lights on the Menorah, is so that just in case one will derive any sort of benefit from them, we can say that it came from that extra light (5). In fact, if one is careful to use only the Shamash, one is allowed, לכתחילה, to make use of that benefit (6). The prohibition is on all the Chanukah lights (not the Shamash) including the additional neiros that are added each night (7), the lights that are in shul (8) even in the morning when there is no beracha recited over them, and even neiros that are kindled by a katan (minor) for chinuch purposes (9). From the Mishna Berura (10) it seems that one should be stringent regarding having benefit from the Chanukah lights even after the first half hour.
It is forbidden to warm oneself or any food item from the heat of the Chanukah lights, or eat a meal, even a mitzvah meal, using the Chanukah Menorah. One may not use the neiros to recite the blessing, "בורא מאורי האש" in the Havdala after Shabbos (11).
What is Permitted? One may briefly look up in a sefer a short halacha relevant to the Menorah (12) as well as read the text of "הנרות הללו" (13) by the lights. If the electricity went off and the house is in total darkness, save for the light of the Menorah, one is not required to keep his eyes closed and bump into things (14). Poskim debate if one may enjoy pleasant scented Chanukah neiros (15).
(1) משנה ברורה תרעג:יא (2) שם:ח (3) שם (4) או"ח תרעג:א (5) שם (6) ביאור הלכה שם (7) מ"ב תרעג:ז (8) שם:יג (9) שו"ת מנחת שלמה ב:נח:מב (01) תרעב:ח (11) או"ח תרפא:א (21) שערי תשובה תרעג:ג (31) שו"ת שיח יצחק שמ"ו (41) שער הציון תרעג:יא