Q. Dear Rov. Can one, when no other option is available, such as when a patient is in hospital or one is traveling by plane use halogen lights for Chanuka?

A. On Shailah 673 we received the following question:

“I’m doing my medical internship and I stay in the hospital overnight some days a week. Can I use a sodium battery powered lamp (sometimes used for medical examinations) for Chanuka lights? How about a Halogen light?”

To what we answered: “In question 667 of this forum we mentioned that in regards to electric lights Beis Yitzchok (Y.D. 1: 120) opines that they could be used instead of Shabbos candles but not as Chanuka lights since they lack Pirsumei Nissah. or recognition with the Chanuka miracle Poskim offer other reasons why electric lights do not qualify.

One being that there is no actual fuel present at the time of lightning; it is constantly being generated at the power stations (Pekudas Elozor O.H. 23, Shmiras Shabbos Kechilchoso 43 n.22, et. al.) Accordingly they would permit the use of a battery powered incandescent light bulb. However, some Poskim do not regard the tungsten filament as a wick (Maharshag 2: 107, Levushey Mordechai 3: 59). Most Poskim would not sanction the commonly used fluorescent and LED lights for Chanuka use.

Lehoros Nossan (11: 17) permits battery powered incandescent lights when in need and no other option is available, such as one hospitalized. Nitei Gavriel (Chanuk,a Teshuva 1) quotes Be’er Moshe’s opinion, that one should light the incandescent light without a brocho.

Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit”a opinion is also not to recite a brocho even on battery powered incandescent light.
The monochromatic yellow sodium lamp works by creating an electric arc through vaporized sodium metal. Although this lamp also contains a glowing filament, the focal light emanates from the vaporized sodium; therefore they are similar to fluorescent lights mentioned above.

Halogen lights are basically pressurized incandescent lamps, and the glowing filament provides the illumination.”

Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by, Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon Miller, Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu and Horav Kalman Ochs Shlit’a