(The Chatam Sofer says that crying in front of the candles ensures your prayers will be answered.)
Each night of Chanukah holds a different & extra-special power for certain types of prayers.
It goes as follows:
- 1st night: Pray not to be lonely or depressed.
- 2nd night: Pray for shidduchim (getting married), shalom bayit (harmonious relations with your family)
- 3rd night: Good, happy, & healthy children
- 4th night: 4 Imahos/Matriarchs — to be a normal person in my 4 walls — of true essence
- 5th night: Chamisha Chumshei Torah — daven that your husband should be a talmid chacham & so should your sons & sons-in-law
- 6th night: Simcha. Joy. You can have everything and still be sad...so daven for simcha.
- 7th night – Happy Shabbat. Zemirot & divrei Torah at your Shabbat meals. Shabbat is source of all blessing.
- 8th night - Daven for barren women to become mothers of healthy children.
The author also says that if you are planning to start something new — if you start on Chanuka — it will be blessed & more likely to succeed.