Hanukkah Blessings: Printable Hanukkah Prayer Cards

Printable Hanukkah Prayer Cards

Its time to kindle the Hanukkah lights! Celebrate the Festival of Lights by reciting the Hanukkah blessings before lighting the candles on the Hanukkah menorah. If you need a cheat sheet, we’ve got you covered! Our printable Hanukkah Blessing cards are written in multiple formats – Hebrew, English transliteration, phonetic pronunciation, and an English translation of the prayers.

These Hanukkah prayer cards can be printed on one standard 8-1/2 x 11 inch sheet of paper which can be cut into individual cards. Use our favorite laminator and laminate each of the Hanukkah blessing cards to reuse year after year!

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Jews rose up and defeated the mighty and oppressive Greek-Syrian army during the Maccabean Revolt in the 2nd century BCE.

When the Maccabees endeavored to light the Temple’s menorah, they discovered that only a single day’s worth of olive oil remained and hadn’t been destroyed by the Greeks. Miraculously, the one-day supply of oil lasted for eight days!

As a remembrance of the miracle and a reminder of the oil, we light the menorah and say prayers every night for eight nights as we celebrate Hanukkah. Since the story of Hanukkah involves oil, we often eat foods that have been fried in oil such as latkes (a type of potato pancake), donuts (including jelly-filled sufganiyot), and fried fish.

Lighting the Menorah & the Hanukkah Blessings

Traditionally, three blessings are recited during the candle lighting service on the first night of Hanukkah. For the next seven nights, two prayers, Blessing Over the Candles and Blessing for the Hanukkah Miracle, are recited.

To light the menorah, start with the center or highest candle (also known as the shammus candle or helper candle), and then use the shammus to light the first candle on the far right side of the menorah. Each day, light an additional candle starting with the right side and moving to the left.

The Shehecheyanu blessing is recited for special occasions to commemorate the first time that something is done in the Jewish calendar year. Here, the Shechecheyanu is recited on the first night that we light the Hanukkah candles on the menorah.

Shehecheyanu Blessing (First Night Only)

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, shehecheyanu v’kiy’manu v’higiyanu lazman hazeh. (Amen)

bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm sheh-heh-kheh-yah-noo veh-kee-mah-noo ve-hee-gee-yah-noo lahz-mahn hah-zeh

Blessed are You, our God, Ruler of the Universe (King of the Universe), who has given us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season.

Hanukkah Candle Blessings

On the second through the eighth night of Hanukkah, recite the first and second prayers only.

Blessing Over The Candles (First Prayer)

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tsivanu l’hadlik ner shel Hanukkah. 

bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-nye eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh ha-oh-lahm ah-sher ki-deh-shah-noo beh-mitz-voh-tahv veh-tzee-vah-noo leh-hahd-lik nayr shel ha-noo-kah

Blessed are You, our God, Ruler of the Universe, who made us holy through Your commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah lights.

Blessing For The Hanukkah Miracle (Second Prayer)

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, she-asah nisim la’avoteinu v’imoteinu bayamim haheim bazman hazeh.

bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-nye eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm sheh-ah-sah nee-sim lah-ah-voh-tay-noo v-ee-moh-tay-noo bah-yah-mim hah-haym bahz-mahn hah-zeh

Blessed are You, our God, Ruler of the Universe, who performed wondrous deeds for our ancestors in those ancient days in this season.