The Order of Lighting:

The Blessings Over the Lighting:

Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah light: Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the universe, Who performed miracles for our fathers in those days, at this time: On the first night we add: Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the universe, Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this time:

These lights we kindle for the miracles, for the wonders, for the salvations, and for the wars that You performed for our fathers in those days, at this time—through Your holy Kohanim. And throughout all eight days of Chanukah, these lights are holy, and we have no permission to make use of them, only to look at them—so as to give thanks and praise to Your great Name for Your miracles, for Your wonders, and for Your salvation:

Maoz Tzur, Rock of my salvation, to You it is fitting to give praise. Establish the House of my prayer, and there we will offer a thanksgiving sacrifice. When You prepare the slaughter of the barking foe, then I will complete, with song and psalm, the dedication of the Altar: My soul was sated with troubles; my strength was consumed with sorrow. My life was embittered with hardship under the bondage of the calf-kingdom. Yet with His great hand He brought out His treasured nation; Pharaoh’s army and all his seed went down like a stone into the depths. He brought me into His holy sanctuary, yet even there I found no rest; the oppressor came and exiled me, for I served strangers and poured poisonous wine—until I nearly perished. The end of Babylon—Zerubbabel—at the end of seventy years I was saved. The Agagite, son of Hammedata, sought to cut down the lofty cypress. But it became a trap and a snare for him, and his pride was shattered. You raised the head of Your right hand; You erased the name of the enemy. His many sons and possessions You hung upon the tree. Greeks gathered against me then, in the days of the Hasmoneans. They breached the walls of my towers and defiled all the oils. But from the remaining flasks a miracle was made for the roses; discerning men established eight days of song and rejoicing. Uncover Your holy arm and bring near the end of salvation. Avenge the blood of Your servants from the wicked nation. For the hour has grown long for us, and there is no end to the days of evil. Repel the Red One in the shadow of Tzalmon; establish for us a shepherd of seven.

A psalm, a song for the dedication of the House, by David: I will exalt You, Hashem, for You have lifted me up and did not let my enemies rejoice over me. Hashem my God, I cried out to You and You healed me. Hashem, You brought my soul up from the grave; You revived me from descending into the pit. Sing to Hashem, His devoted ones, and give thanks to His holy remembrance. For His anger lasts but a moment; life is in His favor. In the evening, weeping may lodge, but in the morning there is song. And I said in my tranquility, “I will never falter.” Hashem, by Your favor You established strength for my mountain; You hid Your face—I was terrified. To You, Hashem, I call, and to my Lord I plead: What gain is there in my blood, in my going down to the pit? Will dust thank You? Will it declare Your truth? Hear, Hashem, and be gracious to me; Hashem, be my help. You turned my mourning into dancing for me; You opened my sackcloth and girded me with joy—so that my glory may sing to You and not be silent. Hashem my God, forever I will thank You.

For the conductor, with stringed instruments, a psalm, a song: God, be gracious to us and bless us; may He shine His face upon us, Selah. That Your way be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let peoples thank You, God; let all peoples thank You. Nations will rejoice and sing, for You will judge peoples with fairness and guide nations on earth, Selah. Let peoples thank You, God; let all peoples thank You. The earth has yielded its produce; God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear Him.

Ana B’Koach, with the power of the greatness of Your right hand, release the bound. אב"ג ית"ץ: Accept the song of Your people; strengthen us, purify us, Awesome One. קר"ע שט"ן: Please, Mighty One—those who seek Your Oneness—guard them like the apple of the eye. נג"ד יכ"ש: Bless them, purify them; with the compassion of Your righteousness, always bestow upon them. בט"ר צת"ג: Powerful, Holy One—through Your abundant goodness, lead Your congregation. חק"ב טנ"ע: Unique and Exalted One—turn to Your people, to those who remember Your holiness. יג"ל פז"ק: Accept our plea and hear our cry, Knower of hidden things. שק"ו צי"ת: In a whisper: Blessed is the Name of the glory of His kingship forever and ever:

Rejoice in Hashem, you righteous; praise befits the upright. Give thanks to Hashem with a harp; with a ten-stringed lyre sing to Him. Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a joyous blast. For the word of Hashem is upright, and all His work is with Emunah. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is filled with the kindness of Hashem. By the word of Hashem the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their hosts. He gathers the waters of the sea like a mound; He places the depths in storehouses. Let all the earth fear Hashem; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke and it came to be; He commanded and it stood. Hashem nullifies the counsel of nations; He frustrates the plans of peoples. The counsel of Hashem stands forever, the thoughts of His heart from generation to generation. Fortunate is the nation whose God is Hashem, the people He chose as His inheritance. From heaven Hashem looked; He saw all the children of man. From His dwelling-place He gazed upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He forms their hearts together; He understands all their deeds. A king is not saved by a great army; a mighty man is not rescued by great strength. The horse is false for salvation; with all its power it cannot deliver. Behold, the eye of Hashem is upon those who fear Him, upon those who hope for His kindness—to save their soul from death and to sustain them in famine. Our soul waits for Hashem; He is our help and our shield. For in Him our heart rejoices, for we trusted in His holy Name. May Your kindness, Hashem, be upon us, as we hoped for You:

The First Chanukah Candle—To Merit the Light of the Revelation of the Tzaddikim, and in particular the light of the Tzaddik Yesod Olam, which is revealed especially through the lighting of the Chanukah candles

Master of the world, Almighty: before I go to light the first Chanukah candle—for the Chanukah lights are thirty-six, corresponding to the thirty-six excisions (kareis), corresponding to the thirty-six Tzaddikim that exist in every generation; and whoever does not believe in them is liable to kareis, as it is said, “And that soul shall be cut off from its people.” For the flame of the Chanukah candle is drawn from Channah’s prayer—Channah (חנ"ה) is 26—as it is said, “And Channah prayed to Hashem.” Through the Chanukah candle one merits to ascend to Atika Kadisha—the most holy holiness, the Hidden of all, the Concealed of all. For through the Chanukah candle one merits to rise even above Atika Kadisha. For through the Chanukah candle that Channah drew down—“Who performed miracles for our fathers”—return to us the shin-ayin ribo nehorin (370 lights) that You took from Chavah at the time of the sin of the Tree of Knowledge. (Likutei Halachos, Matanah 5:61, p. 39) This is what we intend when we say “Who performed miracles for our fathers”—the shin-ayin ribo nehorin, which we draw down through the Chanukah candle, as the numerical value of “כְּהֶרֶף” is 305 and “עַיִן” is 130, totaling 435. Through this, “Hashem Echad” (Hashem is One) = 1, we draw down the soul of Moshiach ben David = 434 = 435—who is the Tzaddik Yesod Olam (the Tzaddik 209, Yesod 80, Olam 146 = 435), who is revealed anew in every generation—especially at the lighting of the Chanukah candles, when he is revealed with even greater uplift and even greater strength.