Questions tagged [chanuka]
Hanukkah, a holiday commemorating the miracles surrounding the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the second century BCE
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What should one do if the shamash burns away before the other candles?
One important reason to keep a shamash candle burning in a hanukkiah is because Hanukkah candles are not supposed to be used except for fufilling the mitzvah. The shamash candle allows one to use its ...
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Latkes with applesauce
If one eats a latke with applesauce should he make a bracha on the applesauce (is the applesauce considered tafel to the latke ? )
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For those accustomed to leaving a shamash lit, must the shamash be lit "l'shem mitzvah"?
There is a custom brought by the Rema to leave an additional candle lit during the lighting of the Menorah at Hanukkah. Does this candle need to be lit for the sake of the mitzvah, or can one use a ...
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Permissibilty of Chanuka bushes, dreidels, gelt, and Chanuka presents
Maimonides codifies the biblical prohibition of keeping gentile customs (Laws of Idolatry 11:1):
אין הולכין בחקות העובדי כוכבים ולא מדמין להן לא במלבוש ולא בשער וכיוצא בהן שנאמר ולא תלכו בחקות ...
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Lit the menorah at my mother's home, then again at my home. Which brachot are said?
Note: This is related to
Lighting the menora in shul and at home. How many brochos need be said?,
except that in that case one of the occasions involved a minyan, and
the explanation offered in ...
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Attending public Menorah lightings before lighting at home
When someone is attending a public Menorah lighting, what should one do vis a vis the Mitzvah and the Berachoth?
Should one say "She'Asah Nisim"?
If it's the first night, should one say "SheHeḤiyanu"?...
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Menorah lighting at work and saying shechechiyanu [closed]
According to European/Ashkenazi customs, if one is asked to light the menorah at work approximately 10 minutes after sunset, Is it a problem:
to say the blessings at work
to say the blessings again ...
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Is one allowed to transfer the oil between the Chanukah candles and frying latkes?
Can one use the leftover candle oil (after the candles have burned out) to fry his latkas, and then "recycle" that oil back for the next night's candle oil?
Is there any concern that the oil must be ...
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Clarification on "use" of Chanukah candles
In the Haneirot Halalu paragraph, said by many, after lighting the Chanukah candles, there is a phrase stating "we are not permitted to use them". I also understand that the candles must stay lit for ...
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Can one light Chanukah candles with ear wax?
Can one light Chanukah candles with ear wax? I'm not suggesting that people actually do this, as it is weird. But, I'm asking this in terms of allowable halacha.
I know that the 2nd chapter of Talmud ...
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Do Karaite Jews Celebrate Chanuka?
As far as I know, Karaite Judaism recognizes the Tanakh only as its source of Jewish Law and practice.
However Karaites do celebrate Purim based on the Book of Esther, so they do observe non-mosaic ...
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3 tefachim minimum height for candles on Chanukah - from the flame itself, or base of the chanukiyah?
For Chanukha Shulchan Aruch (תרעא:ו) writes:
...מניחו למעלה משלשה טפחים
To which the Mishneh Berura writes:
דכל למטה משלשה כאלו הניח בקרקע ואין ניכר שבעל הבית הניחו שם
"For anything below ...
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Info on Chanukah oil burning lengths
If I recall correctly, Chanukah lights must burn until at least 1/2 hour after nightfall (or after they are lit).
I know that different types of oil burn faster or slower. Would someone know if there ...
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What does a Hanukkah oil lamp look like? [duplicate]
Is there such a thing as a "correct" design or appearance for an oil lamp in the context of Hanukkah, whether prescribed by religious law, long tradition or any other metric? If so, what does one look ...
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Turning to the right vs. practice
Mishna Berura 676:10 quotes our sages: "Whenever you make a turning, it should only be towards the right".
However, it appears to me that we usually turn to the left (counter-clockwise) when shaking ...
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Why isn't the miracle of Channukah mentioned in Selichot?
In the selichot service, we have a prayer which lists the historic times when Hashem answered prayers (even implicit ones). The "mi she'ana" prayer starts with Avraham on Har Hamoriah and moves ...
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Is Hanukkah a holiday or a festival? Is there a difference?
I recall hearing that Hanukkah (or maybe Purim) is a festival, rather than a holiday. Is this true? Is there a difference?
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What is the origin of the claim that they played games to hide Torah learning prior to Chanuka
This question makes a very commonly heard claim: "Before the miracle of Hanukkah, when those who controlled the land severely restricted Torah study, Jewish children would gather to study Torah in ...
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Why don't we say al hanissim in al hamichya? [duplicate]
Al hanissim (על הניסים) is a short addition to shemoneh esrei and birkas hamazon on Chanukah and Purim; however, there is no corresponding bit that's added to al hamichya, unlike retzei (for Shabbos) ...
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Rav Moshe's Chanuka additions to Baruch Hashem Yom Yom
This morning in Shul I saw a pamphlet that said as follows. The song Boruch Hashem Yom Yom, the sixth stanza is referring to Chanuka. It said in this pamphlet that Rabbi Moshe Feinstein Zatzal would ...
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Channukah and Bal Tosif
There are questions on the site which deal with saying Hallel on Channukah but my question seeks a more fundamental insight:
The Ramban writes on Devarim 4:2 that a violation of Bal Tosif is creating ...
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Why no argument between Bet Shamai & Bet Hillel regarding how to count the Omer?
For Chanukah, Bet Shamai says that on the 1st night we start with 8 candles and each successive night one less. Bet Hillel says we start with 1 and increase each successive night.
Why was there no ...
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Why no addition to me'ein shalosh for Purim (and Chanukka)?
We add a paragraph to birkat hamzon for Purim (and for Chanukka). Why is there no phrase added to the me'ein shalosh (the bracha acharona) for Purim (and Chanukka)?
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What did "נ ג ה ש" stand for before the Hanukkah miracle?
A well known reason we play dreidel on Hanukkah is this: Before the miracle of Hanukkah, when those who controlled the land severely restricted Torah study, Jewish children would gather to study Torah ...
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Which Way To Light Candles On Chanukah
If Hillel and Shammai (as individuals) disagreed on only a few cases (which way to light is NOT one of them), then they must have agreed on this issue.
One lights candles each year. How is possible ...
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What's the takeaway message for Chanuka?
One of the oft-cited teachings of Rav Hirsch is that every Jewish holiday contains an infusion of kedusha (holiness) and a lesson, both of which aren't only important in and of themselves, but rather ...
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Why is the Miracle of Oil mentioned so much later than records of Chanukah celebrations?
The miracle of oil isn't really mentioned until the Talmud, and is absent from all earlier sources for Chanukah like the Books of Maccabees, Josephus, and others. I have seen historians claim that ...
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Menorah with uneven spacing
The following assumes lighting an additional candle for each day of Chanukkah:
Two may light in a single Menorah for the first three days of Chanukkah; each in his end of the Menorah. This does not ...
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What can I do if I don't have a Chanuka menorah?
There are opinions that hold that one needs a menorah, some sort of kli (vessel) to light Chanukah lights with; but even according to the contrary opinions, it's certainly easier to light when one has ...
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Lighting the Chanuka menorah in my moving trailer
If I live in a trailer, can I light the menorah by the window of the trailor while it's moving (driving down the highway, lets say) and fulfill the mitzvah of lighting the Chanuka lamp?
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Chanukah Bushes?
Every year, I hear people (typically heterodox or jokers) talking about "Chanukah bushes" (likely a parallel to Christmas trees). Now, beyond the obvious of this not being a traditional practice, ...
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Different Versions of Haneirot Hallalu [duplicate]
My father ususally lights the hannuka candles and reads the blessings from the Authorized Daily Prayer Book (aka the Singer Siddur). This year he is away and I read the blessings from the Artscroll. I ...
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Whence the minhag to light in shul by day?
In pretty much every shul and yeshiva I've been in has lit Chanukah candles by shacharis, the same number of candles that were lit the night before.
What is the source for this custom, and why is it ...
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Can one use Chanukkah lights/candles for a mitzvah?
One is generally not allowed to benefit from the light of the Channukah candles (see discussion here) but does that include using the light to perform a mitzvah?
Note: I'm pretty sure that this is ...
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Could the minhag of lighting menorah in Shuls have developed from when guests would stay in Shul?
Could the minhag (=custom) of lighting menorah in synagogues have developed from when guests would stay in the synagogue? Does anyone bring this as a source for the minhag? If so, would it not apply ...
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Why Does the Rambam Assert That It Took Eight Days To Obtain Pure Oil? [duplicate]
Background
In a previous post regarding the quantity of oil sufficient for one day’s lighting of the Menorah the answer given was the quantity of oil is more than one liter, but not more than two ...
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Do I need a menorah?
It's been common practice for a very long time (perhaps as early as 60 years after the Chanukah miracle) to use a menorah (aka "chanukiyah") to light the Chanukah candles with.
Do I need a menorah to ...
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What was the volume of oil for one day's lighting of the Menorah?
Large jars for storing oil or wine were common in Judah. For 100’s of years, oil and wine were the commodities that were used to pay tribute and taxes. Many storage jars were standardized and may ...
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What's the point of a haftorah for Miketz if it's always Shabbat Chanukah?
I have heard that parshat Miketz always falls out on Shabbat Chanukah. If that's the case, why do chumashim print a haftorah for Miketz in addition to the one for Shabbat Chanukah? Should the Chanukah ...
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Is there a problem with two people lighting a double chanukiah?
Is there a problem with two people lighting from a chanukiah that has two Shamashes and 16 candles? Say, Shamash, 8 candles, Shamash, 8 candles, all on one structure?
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May a chanuka menorah be any shape? [duplicate]
This is a more specific asking of "what may a menorah look like", whose answer only regulated candle height.
So long as the artist is mindful regarding the prohibition against idols, may a menorah ...
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What makes something a chag or not?
I have a friend who does not like it when people say 'chag sameach' on hanukah, claiming that hanukah is not a chag.
What makes something a chag vs. not a chag?
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What may a menorah look like?
I'm designing a menorah to build for next Channukah. Are there anything about the Law on how a menorah should look, other than that it holds 9 candles? Must it exactly resemble the traditional ...
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Why a different list and different order in על הנסים and in הנרות הללו?
On Chanuka, we thank God in the amida (sh'mone esre) and grace after meals
ועל הנסים ועל הפרקן ועל הגבורות ועל התשועות ועל הנפלאות ועל הנחמות ועל המלחמות שעשית לאבותינו בימים ההם בזמן הזה
for the ...
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Singular and plural in Maoz Tzur
In the first five paragraphs of Maoz Tzur, the first-person singular is used fifteen times. However, the first-person plural is used just once, in ושם תודה נזבח - and there a thanksgiving-offering we ...
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How big can a chanukia get?
I recently saw this story about students at YU who lit up their dorm windows to turn the entire building into a giant chanukia (just the form, not a real one). That inspired a question:
Exactly how ...
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Variations on Al Hanisim
The song "Al Hanisim" is popularly sung on Hanukkah by many Jews everywhere. However, I've noticed a discrepancy:
On this website it states that the lyrics are:
עַל הַנִּסִּים, וְעַל הַפֻּרְקָן, ...
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Chanuka candles if missed the night
If someone, not on purpose, did not light chanuka candles at night, should he light during the day? With or without a brocho?
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If I said the blessings over already lit candles, have I fulfilled my hannukah mitzvah?
On the first night of Hannukah, I got home from work after dinner, and my wife had lit the candles and said the blessings with the kids.
I said all three blessings over the already lit candles. In ...
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How to light when getting married on a night of Chanuka
A friend of mine is getting married on one of the nights of Chanuka this year. I do know that he has been in contact with his rabbi about this, but since I'm not sure what he said, I'll post this ...
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