In The Event You Forgot Sh’hecheyanu On The First Night

Just before lighting the candle on the first night of Chanukah, one recites the three Brachot of "Le'hadlik Ner," "She'asa Nissim" and "She'hecheyanu." The Shulchan Aruch rules that one does not begin lighting the candle until he completes the recitation of all three Brachot. If one forgot to recite "She'hecheyanu" before lighting on the first night of Chanukah, he may recite the Bracha within a half-hour after lighting, provided that the candle still burns. If a half-hour has passed since he lit, or if the candle was extinguished, he may no longer recite "She'hecheyanu" that night, and he recites it instead when lighting the candles on the second night. If a person forgot to recite "She'hecheyanu" on all eight nights of Chanukah, and he remembered on the eighth night a half-hour after lighting or after the candles had been extinguished, he may no longer recite the Bracha. Even though the festival of Chanukah is observed until the end of the eighth day, he may no longer recite the Bracha of "She'hecheyanu," because the Bracha pertains not to the observance of the festival, but rather specifically to the Mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles. In such a case one does not recite the Bracha even if he later lights Chanukah candles on behalf of somebody else. Since he lights for the purpose of fulfilling the other individual's obligation, and that individual had already recited "She'hecheyanu," the person who lights cannot recite "She'hecheyanu." Of course, if the individual for whom he lights had likewise neglected to recite "She'hecheyanu," then he may recite the Bracha when he lights on his behalf

Summary: On the first night of Chanukah one must add the Bracha of "She'hecheyanu" before lighting the Chanukah candle. One who forgot to recite this Bracha before lighting may recite it within a half-hour after lighting so long as the candle still burns. Otherwise, he recites the Bracha the following night. If one forgot to recite the Bracha throughout Chanukah and remembers on the eighth night after a half-hour passed since lighting the candles or after the candles were extinguished, he may no longer recite the Bracha.

By Rabbi Eli Mansour