Chanukah

Does livestreaming your Chanukah candle lighting increase the mitzvah of publicizing the Chanukah miracle to the world? On the quiet dead end street where we live, not a lot of people get to see the candles in our window, and those who do are all Jews. But I like to livestream it for all my social media followers to see. And my candle lighting videos have been a hit among Jews and non-Jews alike.

BH Hi, If I'm a bochur in a shared basement, and due to issues of domestic violence I'm not able to light in the place I sleep, is it better that I light at a friend's house if I go there for a meal than to not light at all?

My wife will be two times zone to my west for the first couple days of Chanukah. She is staying by herself (not with a host). When I light, it is still the previous day for her. Should she light separately or should I wait two hours to light when it becomes night for her (and there are still plenty of people in the street who can see my candles)? If it helps, I could visit my married kids for their lighting and then I wouldn't get home until nightfall for my wife.

Dear Rabbi, I purchased a box of Chanukah candles and I wonder: If one has a set of small red, green, blue, and yellow Chanukah candles, does it matter in which order they are placed in the menorah? And from which side do you light them, as you look toward the menorah? Thank you so much

Dear Rabbi, What is a “dreidel” and its connection to Chanukah? Thanks

Dear Rabbi, What do you think the main message of Chanukah is, especially for someone in our contemporary society? Thank you.

Dear Rabbi, The Chanukah miracle: A flask with one night’s oil burned for eight nights. But being that there was oil for one night, the miracle actually lasted only seven nights. So why is Chanukah eight nights and not seven? Thank you

Dear Rabbi, My 4.5 year old had a Bris, his first trip to Israel was for a cousins wedding when he was 10 months old, when you walk into our house the first thing you see is a Star of David. He has also been attending Jewish preschool for 2.5 years and every summer spends a month in Hebrew camp. I do my best to ensure he is a good Jewish boy. However, this holiday season he keeps talking about Santa Claus. He asks if Santa likes the Jews and will he bring him presents. How will he get into our house if we have a fire going, and on and on. I keep telling him that we are Jewish and do not celebrate Christmas. But we celebrate Chanukah and the Russian new year. That mama and papa get him presents. I do not have the heart to say there is no Santa. Besides, he may repeat it at school and that isn’t fair to other children. I’m at a loss. I really don’t know what to do. Have you any advice? It may be important to note that I was not raised religious and grew up celebrating Christmas. My wife immigrated to the United States in her teens and grew up in a relatively strict Jewish household. Thank you for the time and help

Should someone who is not Jewish light their own Chanukiah?  

Would it be a sin to roast kosher marshmallows on the menorah?