Alternative ways to light a menorah

Question

I'm doing a project for my temple and i need to know different ways to light a menorah besides the conventional candles and oil. i have looked through almost all search engines and couldnt find anything. Please help

Answer 1

While technically, one would not completely fulfill the requirements unless you have 30 minutes worth of fuel, there are stories of people in concentration camps using butter and shoe polish. There are also stories of people using spotlights and other such creative ideas to hide  from the Communists in Russia. There is also discussion if one could use a battery powered menorah, which solve some of the problems of plugging into the wall. This might be usable in a hospital which allows no fires.

To look for more info, try jewishresourcecard.com

Answer 2

umm you can only light them with oil or candles theirs no other way and to light the candle or oil theirs also a certain way i think the guy with the first answer explained but i didn' feel like reading it so im not sure

Answer 3

There's a reason you're not finding anything.  The Talmud is very specific about how long Chanukah candles need to burn, and how they should be lit.  Candles and oil are pretty much what is acceptable, because that is the safest way to insure a clean flame that will burn for the correct amount of time.  Even the Reform movement accepts that in order to fulfill the commandment, you have to light a physical fire that lasts a certain amount of time.  Where Reform Jews differ in practice, is you'll probably find people in the halacha-is-not-binding camp who say that you don't have to light at all.  Or that you can use an electric one if you are afraid for safety.  But I doubt either of those are common opinions, for all that I've seen of Reform Judaism.  And all other Jewish groups (Orthodox, Conservative, all Sephardic Jews, and Chassidim) believe that halacha is binding. and follow the rules set out in the Talmud.

So I'm not really sure what else you're looking for.  Electric menorahs exist, but using them does not fulfill the commandment.  Jewish law isn't simply a template that everyone hangs their own ideas on... while there are traditions that vary by community when it comes to folk practices or foods, when it comes to mitzvot there is a specific way to do things, and that's what Jews do.