סימן קלט סעיף יג
קָיְמָא לָן, הַדְלָקָה עוֹשֶׂה מִצְוָה. פֵּרוּשׁ, הַהַדְלָקָה הִיא הַמִּצְוָה, וּבִשְׁעַת הַהַדְלָקָה, צְרִיכִין לִהְיוֹת הַנֵּרוֹת בִּמְקוֹמָן הָרָאוּי וְכַשִׁעוּר הָרָאוּי, לְאַפּוּקֵי אִם הִדְלִיקָן לְמַטָּה מִשְּׁלֹשָׁה טְפָחִים אוֹ לְמַעְלָה מֵעֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה וְאַחַר כָּךְ כְּשֶׁהֵן דּוֹלְקִים הִנִּיחָן בִּמְקוֹמָן, פְּסוּלִים. וְכֵן אִם בִּשְׁעַת הַהַדְלָקָה לֹא הָיָה שֶׁמֶן כַשִּׁעוּר וְאַחַר כָּךְ הוֹסִיף, לָא מַהֲנֵי. וְכֵן אִם הֶעֱמִידָן בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁהָרוּחַ שוֹלֵט וְעוֹמְדִין לִכָבוֹת, לֹא קִיֵם הַמִּצְוָה, וְחַיָב לְהַדְלִיקָן שֵׁנִית, אֲבָל לֹא יְבָרֵךְ. אֲבָל אִם הֶעֱמִידָן כָּרָאוּי וְעַל יְדֵי מִּקְרֶה כָּבוּ, כְבָר קִיֵם הַמִּצְוָה. וּמִכָּל מָקוֹם נוֹהֲגִין שֶׁחוֹזֵר וּמַדְלִיקָן. וְנוֹהֲגִין לְהַחְמִיר שֶׁלֹּא לְהַדְלִיק נֵר מִנֵּר, אֶלָּא מַדְלִיקָן מִן הַשַּׁמָּשׁ אוֹ מִנֵּר אַחֵר.
It is a halachic rule that the act of lighting the menorah creates the mitzvah, which means, that the kindling is the essence of the mitzvah, and when you light the menorah the lights must be in their proper place and must have the proper amount [of oil]. Accordingly if you lit them when they were lower than three tefachim [off the ground] or higher than twenty amos, and after they were already burning you placed them in their proper place, they are not valid.18The Poskim have written that even when the Menorah was lit in a proper place, it should not be moved to another [proper] place until after the candles had burned at least a half hour. This applies even to the Menorah that is lit in the synagogue. Others are more stringent, maintaining that the menorah should not be moved at all while it is burning. (Mishnah Berurah 675:6, See also Shaar Hatzion 672:12) Similarly, if, when you lit them, they did not have the required amount of oil, and afterwards you added [oil], it is of no avail.19You must extinguish the candles, add the proper amount of oil, and rekindle the candles, but without a berachah. (Ibid 675:8) Similarly if you set the menorah in a place where the wind is blowing and the lights are bound to be extinguished, you have not fulfilled the mitzvah, and you must light them again, but you should not say a berachah. But if you put them in the proper place and they were extinguished by accident, you have fulfilled the mitzvah. Nevertheless, it is customary to kindle them again. It is the custom to be strict and not rekindle an extinguished light with another Chanukah light, but you should light it with the shamash or with some other candle.
תנא דבי אליהו כל השונה הלכות בכל יום מובטח לו שהוא בן העולם הבא שנאמר הליכות עולם לו אל תקרי הליכות אלא הלכות (נדה ע"ג.)