Where should the hanukkiah be placed, and which candle do you start lighting from?

Question: Why is it customary to place the hanukkiah next to the entrance of the house?

Answer:

According to the Ben Ish Chai, the mitzvah is to place the hanukkiah within a tefach (handbreadth) of the doorway, even when lighting inside the house.

The position of the hanukkiah depends on the mezuzah:

- If there is a mezuzah on the right side of the doorway, the hanukkiah is placed on the left side of the person entering.

- If there is no mezuzah on the right, the hanukkiah is placed on the right.

In this way, a person entering the house is surrounded by mitzvot:

the mezuzah on one side, the Hanukkah candles on the other, and the mitzvah of tzitzit on his body.

The initials of Tzitzit, Mezuzah, Hanukkah form the word TzeMaCh, which hints at the redemption and the Mashiach.

Which candle do you start with each night?

The Ben Ish Chai explains that the order changes depending on which side the hanukkiah is placed:

When the hanukkiah is to the left of the doorway:

- On the first night the candle is placed at the end farthest from the doorway.

- On the second night a candle is added toward the doorway, and the lighting begins with the new candle.

- This continues each night: you begin with the new candle and move to the right to the other candles.

When the hanukkiah is to the right of the doorway:

The order is reversed, so that here too the lighting moves toward the right.

The principle: according to the Ben Ish Chai, each night you begin with the new candle that was added and continue lighting toward the right.