There are very specific rules about lighting a menorah; luckily most of them rely on simply knowing your left from your right. The menorah has nine branches, one for each night of the Festival of Lights, plus a shamash, meaning helper or attendant, which is lit first and then used to light the other candles. The shamash always sits a bit higher or lower than the rest of the candles so as to not get confused with the others. The candles are placed on the menorah from right to left, the same direction in which one reads Hebrew. However, when lighting the menorah you move in the opposite direction, using the shamash to the light the candles from left to right. Confusing? Eh, do your best.
So how many candles will you need? 44. Each night a new candle is added to the menorah, plus a shamash, and burned all the way through. But don’t worry, there is no need to count; if you buy a box it will come with 44.
