Menorah Candle Calculator

How Many Menorah Candles Do You Need?

This Menorah Candle Calculator helps you work out exactly how many candles to light on any given night of Hanukkah, and how many candles you will have used in total so far. It accounts for both the regular Hanukkah candles and the shamash, the helper candle used to light the others. You can also enter more than one menorah if your household, classroom, or community lights several at once.

Use this tool if you are:

• Planning how many Hanukkah candles to buy before the holiday begins.
• Preparing for a school lesson or group program with multiple menorahs.
• Double-checking how many candles go in the menorah on a particular night.

Key Formulas for Hanukkah Candle Counts

The calculator uses simple arithmetic based on the standard eight-night Hanukkah tradition, where you light one new candle each night, plus a shamash for each menorah.

Candles Lit Tonight (Per Night)

For a given night number n (from 1 to 8), each menorah has n Hanukkah candles plus one shamash. If you light m menorahs, the total candles you light that night are:

Where:

• C is the number of candles you light that night (including all shamash candles).
• n is the night of Hanukkah (1 through 8).
• m is the number of menorahs you are lighting.

Total Candles Used So Far (Up to a Given Night)

By night n, you have already lit 1 candle on the first night, 2 candles on the second night, and so on, up to n candles on night n, plus one shamash per menorah on each night. The calculator adds these up using the formula for the sum of the first n integers.

For Hanukkah candles (not counting shamash):

When you include the shamash (one per menorah per night), the total number of candles (Hanukkah candles plus shamash) used up to and including night n is:

Where:

• T is the total number of candles used from night 1 through night n (including all shamash candles).
• n is the night you are asking about (1 through 8).
• m is the number of menorahs being lit each night.

Interpreting Your Calculator Results

When you enter the night of Hanukkah and the number of menorahs, the calculator typically returns three key numbers:

• Candles on the menorah tonight (excluding shamash): The number of Hanukkah candles that sit in the main eight branches of each menorah.
• Shamash candles tonight: One per menorah, used to light the others.
• Total candles used so far: All the Hanukkah candles and shamash candles you will have burned from night 1 through the selected night.

You can use the "candles tonight" value to quickly prepare for the next lighting, and the "total used so far" value to make sure you have enough candles to last through the end of the holiday or through a specific event.

Worked Example: Multiple Menorahs on Night 3

Imagine you are lighting 3 menorahs on the 3rd night of Hanukkah. Enter night = 3 and number of menorahs = 3 into the calculator.

Step 1: Candles Tonight

Each menorah on night 3 has 3 Hanukkah candles plus 1 shamash, for a total of 4 candles per menorah. With 3 menorahs:

• Candles per menorah tonight: 3 Hanukkah candles + 1 shamash = 4
• Candles tonight across all menorahs: 3 × 4 = 12 candles

Step 2: Total Candles Used So Far

Now consider all the nights up to and including night 3:

• Night 1: 1 Hanukkah candle per menorah + 1 shamash
• Night 2: 2 Hanukkah candles per menorah + 1 shamash
• Night 3: 3 Hanukkah candles per menorah + 1 shamash

Hanukkah candles only: 1 + 2 + 3 = 6 candles per menorah over the first three nights. With 3 menorahs, that is 18 Hanukkah candles.

Shamash candles: 1 shamash per menorah × 3 nights × 3 menorahs = 9 shamash candles.

Total candles (Hanukkah candles + shamash) from nights 1 through 3:

• 18 Hanukkah candles + 9 shamash candles = 27 candles altogether.

The calculator will show that on night 3 you light 12 candles in total, and you will have used 27 candles from the beginning of Hanukkah through the end of the third night.

Quick Comparison: Candle Counts by Night

The following table shows typical totals for one menorah across the eight nights, including one shamash each night. You can use it to cross-check the calculator or to understand how fast candle use grows as Hanukkah goes on.

If you light more than one menorah, multiply these totals by the number of menorahs to estimate how many candles you will need for the whole holiday.

Planning Your Hanukkah Candles

The calculator is especially helpful for planning supplies. Here are a few ways you can use it:

• Before Hanukkah: Choose the maximum number of menorahs you expect to light, set the night to 8, and use the total to estimate how many candles to buy.
• During the holiday: Check the next night’s candle count to avoid opening extra boxes at the last minute.
• For group events: Enter the number of menorahs for a school, synagogue, or community celebration to ensure you have enough candles for participants.

Assumptions and Limitations

This Menorah Candle Calculator is based on common, standard practice and makes several simplifying assumptions:

• Eight-night Hanukkah: The tool assumes a standard eight-night holiday. The night field is limited to whole numbers from 1 through 8.
• One shamash per menorah per night: Each menorah uses exactly one shamash every night. The calculator includes these shamash candles in both the nightly and total counts.
• Same number of menorahs each night: The number of menorahs you enter is treated as constant across all nights up to the selected night. If you change how many menorahs you light from night to night, the totals will only match the nights for which the number is accurate.
• Whole menorahs only: The tool expects a positive whole number of menorahs. It does not handle fractions or partial menorahs.
• Standard candle use: It assumes you light all required candles every night without skipping any nights.

There are many beautiful customs around the world regarding how exactly to place and light menorah candles. This calculator follows the widely used approach of increasing the number of candles by one each night. It does not attempt to reflect every regional or family custom, nor does it give legal or religious rulings. For detailed guidance on observance, it is best to consult a knowledgeable religious authority or a trusted community resource.