Hot answers tagged menora-chanukia
21
You may discard it. The gemara (Megillah 26b) states:
תנו רבנן: תשמישי מצוה - נזרקין, תשמישי קדושה - נגנזין. ואלו הן תשמישי מצוה: סוכה, לולב, שופר, ציצית. ואלו הן תשמישי קדושה: דלוסקמי ספרים, תפילין ומזוזות, ותיק של ספר תורה, ונרתיק של תפילין ורצועותיהן
Our Rabbis taught: ‘Accessories of religious observances [when disused] are to be thrown away; ...
14
Mishna B'rura to 21:1 says that once a thing used for a mitzva is no longer usable for the mitzva, it can be discarded, but should not be discarded in a degrading manner or used for a degrading purpose. He considers deliberately throwing it onto the garbage heap as an example of discarding it in a degrading manner. [I've heard recommended that such an object ...
9
The Aruch Hashulchan in Orach Chaim 671:2 notes this difficulty and explains that for mitzvos involving publicizing of a miracle (פרסומי ניסא), including Chanukah candles and the four cups of wine on Pesach (Orach Chaim 472:13), one must spend all of his money.
Of course this just brings up another question: why should פרסומי ניסא cases be so strict?
8
One of the purposes of the shamash is to ensure that there is light in the vicinity of the menora other than that of the menora itself. That way, if someone reads near the menora, their reading won't be [exclusively] by the light of the menora's lights, so they won't be making mundane use of those lights, which is forbidden, since they're supposed to serve ...
8
The source for this recitation is Tractate Soferim (20:4). Aramaic was a major lingustic influence on halachic literature in Babylonia during the Geonic period when that tractate was composed, and in Aramaic the plural form ends with a nun rather than a mem.
7
http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=50452&st=&pgnum=57
See note 132. Per Rabbeinu Yitzchok the son of the Raavad and the Chesed L'Avraham there are 15 types of Chanuka Menorahs and the order of preference is as follows.
Gold
Silver
Copper metal in the color of gold or other metal with such a color
Actual copper which is reddish
Metal which is ...
7
Although it does not list a source - Luach Davar Be'ito says (29 Kislev 5755):
המדקדקים מכינים כבר עתה את פתילות נרות החנוכה שלמחרת ליל
מוצש׳׳ק, למען ימצאון מוכנות בבואם מחר מביהכ׳׳נ ויהיו זריזים מקדימים.
Those that are careful prepare before Shabbos the Chanuka candles in order to light as soon as possible after Shabbos.
(abridged ...
6
Josephus (Ant. XII:7:7) mentions that "from that time to this we celebrate this
festival, and call it Lights." So this association between Chanukah and lights existed already in his times.
In the Gemara, Shabbos 21b, we also find the schools of Hillel and Shammai - who were active from c. 30 BCE to c. 10 CE - debating the proper procedure when lighting more ...
6
This is a famous question asked by the Bait Yosef (OC 670), which has gained so much popularity since he's asked it, seemingly because of it's simplistic ingenuity, that it's attracted hundreds of answers from most everyone who has ever had anything to say about Chanuka.
The Bait Yosef himself gives three possible answers: (quoted from here)
Those ...
6
A fire is a fire is a fire - See OH 673(1)
ואע"פ שאין השמנים נמשכים אחר הפתילה ואין האור נתלה יפה באותם הפתילות
Even though the wicks don't absorb the oil well and the light [fire] doesn't attach well to those wicks (--translation mine)
(i.e. even if your lights are poor, your still yotzeh the mitzvah).
That being said, the מצוה מן המבחר is to ...
6
Per Rabbi Ben Zion Abba Shaul in an essay in Ohr Olam one in prison should light and make a Bracha on Chanuka candles.
See the conclusion of the essay here.
See also Sichos in English
It is of particular importance to reach those Jews who are confined to
hospitals and prisons, and to help them to light Chanukah candles.
5
First of all, note that opinions brought in Avnei Nezer 2:500 that you need to have the candles lit in some sort of kli (vessel) and not just loose. According to these opinions, the menora itself is a mitzva object.
That said, even if you don't rule that way we have a notion of hiddur mitzva even for things that aren't direct mitzva objects such as the ...
5
Vedibarta Bam brings two answers:
From the Tzemach Dovid of Dinov: The Gemora writes that the oil was מונח בחותמו של כהן גדול - "lying with the Kohen Gadol's seal". It should have said, "שהי' חתום" - "that was sealed?" From this we may deduce that when the Hasmoneans entered the Beit Hamikdash, their eyes beheld a fascinating phenomenon. They saw one cruse ...
4
Rav Aharon Lichtenstein has a broad analysis of this subject. He dealt with the issue personally when his father went blind late in life.
Part I - http://vbm-torah.org/archive/halak66/14halak.htm
Part II - http://vbm-torah.org/archive/halak66/15halak.htm
Part III - http://vbm-torah.org/archive/halak66/16halak.htm
4
He is chayav (obligated). Therefore if someone else lives in the same home, we have him fulfill his obligation with him by paying him a small amount to partner with him. If he has a wife, she lights for both of them. If not, then he lights with someone helping him (so that he does not hurt himself or start a fire.)
SA OC 675: 3 MA 4
סומא אם יכול להשתתף
...
4
Yes. Recite birkas shehechiyanu on the second night after the regular two b'rachos. The same goes for any subsequent night if it is the first time you are lighting this year. (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 676:1)
4
Many explain that because there was a time when it was dangerous to light outside the requirement was rescinded and was not re instituted since.
The Aruch Hashulchan (671:24) explains that in the countries Jews lived in then the climate did not permit for lighting outside unless they would close the Menorah in a glass box which is an extra burden the Sages ...
4
I once heard from the previous Pittsburger Rebbe ztsl a beautiful answer on this question. He asked what was done with the jug after it was emptied into the menorah? Since oil sticks, there must have been drops of oil left inside and they were Kodoish. It must be that they returned it to the Beis HaBad (the place where they pressed the oil) to have it ...
3
The Mishnah Brurah (671:27) writes that nowadays the world relies on the Mordechai who says that now that the practice is to put it inside there's no problem. However, careful people shouldn't rely on the Mordechai and should put it outside.
3
Here is something I wrote about this last year:
One of the most famous questions asked about חנוכה is known as “The Beis Yosef’s Question”. The גמרא explains the reason for the celebration of חנוכה is because the Jews found only one flask of oil containing enough oil to light the מנורה for just one day. A miracle occurred and the oil lasted for eight days. ...
3
Nitei Gavriel Chanuka 40:2 says that the one who lights in the Shul stands with his back to the South and his face to the North. On the first night he lights the candle all the way on his right. On the subsequent nights he lights the new candle and proceeds to his right.
3
From what I understand, it does depend on where you live.
An integral part of lighting Chanuka candles is "advertising the miracle" (pirsumei nisa). For many years this was accomplished by lighting outdoors in a public place where many people gathered. Due to religious persecution at certain points in history, this practice was almost entirely stopped.
...
3
Despite the fact that everyone seems to assume you light from left to right (don't take my word for it; try a simple Google search!) there actually is a difference of opinion.
The following information is taken directly from Halachipedia (with some very minor editing by me for formatting purposes):
Maharik (Responsa 183, cited by Beit Yosef 676:5) ...
3
20th c. rabbi and legal decisor Yisrael Meir Kagan wrote in the Mishna B'rura (Orach Chayim 676) that the guiding principle in lighting the candles is never to pass one's hand past a candle without lighting it since that would constitute passing up an opportunity to perform a mitzva. So, assuming a right-handed person standing slightly to the left of and ...
3
The P'ri To'ar (YD 19:1) in a discussion of the obligation to slaughter a Ben Pekua' (live offspring found in a kosher slaughtered mother which biblically is included in the mother's slaughtering but rabbinically requires its own slaughtering because of chashad -- looking suspicious) mentions this rule of Chanukkah (which also relates to chashad) and notes ...
3
The Shulchan Aruch (673:2) rules (based on the discussion in the Talmud Shabbat 21a-b) that if a Chanukkah candle goes out after lighting it, even on Friday before Shabbat starts, one need not relight it because the mitzva was already accomplished after lighting.
The Taz there (sk 10) recommends relighting it anyway (without a bracha) to 'complete the ...
2
Chaye Adam 154:10 paraphrases the Rema, but adds in that it isn't "hidur" to use separated lamps in a circle or wax candles on different levels. Everything should be straight.
So, it doesn't "have to" be straight, but it is the best way of performing the mitzva. This seems to be true even if you enhance the mitzva with a nice artsy menorah. Better to ...
2
The reasoning is that at that height there is more pirsumei nisa since one who needs the candles for light would normally place it higher. That would seem to indicate that the light (flame) should be at that height. Conversely, a candle hanging down from above 20 amos would be OK accordingly.
2
My understanding is that the goal is for the light to be fairly steady, and not constantly flickering because of impurities in the fuel or wick.
I think that (assuming you use standard store-bought ingredients) the light will definitely meet or exceed the necessary threshold.
If you are making your own, I guess you should avoid making candles out of ...
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible
