Why do women customarily refrain from work while the Hanukkah candles are burning?

Question: Why do some women refrain from doing work while the Hanukkah candles are lit?

Answer:

The Ben Ish Chai explains that this is an ancient custom of women, also mentioned in the books of the halachic authorities.

According to him, women should be careful not to do work while the Hanukkah candles are burning.

What is the reason for the custom?

The Ben Ish Chai gives an explanation based on Kabbalah.

According to him, during the days of Hanukkah there is a special additional spiritual illumination in the aspect of the supernal Malchut.

Since according to Kabbalah there is a spiritual connection between women and the attribute of Malchut, women customarily added holiness and refrained from work while the candles were lit.

Are there women who refrain from work on certain days of Hanukkah as well?

The Ben Ish Chai cites an opinion that women should refrain from laundry, sewing and other work on the first and last days of Hanukkah, and certainly on Rosh Chodesh.

He writes that it is good to be careful about this.

What about women who earn their living from their work?

The Ben Ish Chai emphasizes that one should not be stringent about this when a woman’s livelihood depends on that work.

Did all Jewish communities follow this custom?

No.

The Ben Ish Chai relates that he asked Rabbi Eliyahu Mani about the custom of Jerusalem.

The answer was that in Jerusalem the women used to do work during the days of Hanukkah.

However, there were women who took upon themselves to refrain from work for one or two days of Hanukkah as a segulah for salvation in times of danger.

Women who came from other communities continued to keep the customs of their families.

The message: one should distinguish between the customs of different communities and respect the tradition received in each family.