In what order do I put in and light the Chanukah candles?

Here's what you need to know

Each night you add the new candle in a specific spot, then light in the opposite order, newest candle first. This order is set by long-standing practice and widely followed.

The specific rule is

Place each night's new candle to the left of the previous night's candles, so the candles fill the menorah (chanukiah) from right to left as the holiday progresses. When lighting, go the other direction: light the newest candle (the one on the left) first, then proceed rightward toward the older candles. The shamash (helper candle, used to light the others) is lit first of all and is not counted in this order.

Step by step

• Set up the menorah in its chosen spot (commonly a window or doorway visible from the street, or another location per family custom) before lighting anything.
• Insert the oil or candles for tonight: keep last night's candles in their same positions, and place tonight's new candle immediately to the left of them, so the total count fills right to left.
• Place the shamash in its own holder, separate from the numbered candles.
• Light the shamash first.
• Recite the blessing 'l'hadlik ner shel Chanukah' and the blessing 'she'asa nisim', and on the very first night of the holiday add the 'shehecheyanu' blessing as well, holding the lit shamash.
• Using the lit shamash, light tonight's newest candle first (the leftmost one), then continue lighting rightward through the rest of the candles.
• Return the shamash to its holder.
• Many say or sing 'Hanerot Halalu' after lighting, and some add 'Maoz Tzur'.

Background

The logic behind this two-step order: the newest candle is lit first because it marks that night's added miracle, and with each additional day of Chanukah the miracle grew. Lighting the older nights' candles afterward, moving rightward, still gives every candle its due.

The shamash is lit first purely as a practical and technical matter: since the menorah's other lights are not supposed to be used for ordinary purposes (like lighting further candles), a separate flame is needed to do the lighting itself, and it stays visually distinct from the mitzvah candles, often placed higher or to the side.

Where family or community custom varies is mainly on where the menorah is placed (a window facing the street, a doorway, or indoors on a table) and on minor practices around the songs afterward, not on this right-to-left placement and left-to-right lighting sequence, which is the order the Shulchan Arukh gives.

Each source is checked against Sefaria — unverified references are dropped, never shown.