17
votes
Is "Festival of Lights" our traditional term or borrowed from other cultures?
It seems to have been referred to this way at least as early as the time of Flavius Josephus.
See his Antiquities of the Jews, Book 12, Chapter 7:
Now Judas celebrated the festival of the ...
- 41.8k
14
votes
Accepted
Can a Chanukah menorah share a single oil source?
The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch brings a case when one has a bowl filled with oil and places wicks around the perimeter to make a menorah. (Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 139:9)
הַנֵּרוֹת, יִהְיוּ בְּשׁוּרָה אַחַת ...
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11
votes
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Can one light a "camp fire" for Chanukah lighting?
The halacha is that someone must light with a ner (individual wick) and not a medurah (torch or multiple wicks). Siman תרעא in the Shulchan Aruch explains that the wicks must be separated to show ...
- 42.9k
11
votes
Accepted
When and by whom were the Piyutim of Channukah written?
The author of the yotzer "odecha ki anafta" was R. Yosef b. Shelomo of Carcasonne (11th century CE).
His signature (יוסף בן שלמה) can be seen in the final line:
יחידך וידידך סלה פקדוך, בל ...
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10
votes
Accepted
Why does Chabad use a diagonal branched menorah?
It follows the sketch that was attributed to the Rambam for the shape of the menorah like is seen in this link and at this link to the Temple Institute.
This was the result of instruction of the ...
- 14.2k
10
votes
Lighting Hanukkah Candles Alone
The Shulchan Aruch in O.C. 677:3 writes:
יש אומרים שאע"ג שמדליקין עליו בתוך ביתו, אם הוא במקום שאין בו ישראל מדליק בברכות
Some say that even though they are lighting for a person at his home, if ...
- 58.3k
10
votes
Why is Joseph's pit mentioned amid all the Chanukah stuff in tractate Shabas?
This immediately follows another statement of R. Kahana's, which also quoted an exegesis of R. Nasan b. Minyome's in the name of R. Tanchum. Quoting another statement from the same people is pretty ...
- 73.6k
10
votes
Minhag of eating jelly doughnuts on chanukah
Wikipedia brings the following quote from Rabbi Maimon, father of the Rambam:
"אין להקל בשום מנהג ואפילו מנהג קל. ויתחייב כל נכון לו עשות משתה ושמחה ומאכל, לפרסם הנס שעשה השם יתברך עמנו באותם ...
- 24.9k
9
votes
Accepted
What should one do if the shamash burns away before the other candles?
If half an hour has passed since you lit the candles (assuming you didn't light early) then you no longer need a Shamash. You can even extinguish the candles at that point.
This is explicit in the ...
- 42.8k
9
votes
Accepted
Why do we celebrate Chanukah?
A Chanukah Shiur by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, delivered at Moriah Synagogue, circa-1950, transcribed by Rabbi Nisson E. Shulman, explains the meaning of Chanukah and shows that Chanukah itself is ...
- 42.9k
9
votes
What's the source that Yavan/Greece is keneged choshech?
The source is Bereishit Rabbah 2.
וְחשֶׁךְ, זֶה גָּלוּת יָוָן, שֶׁהֶחֱשִׁיכָה עֵינֵיהֶם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּגְזֵרוֹתֵיהֶן
”And darkness”: This refers to the exile imposed by Greece, who darkened the ...
- 41.8k
8
votes
Can a Chanukah menorah share a single oil source?
Yes you can learn this from Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 671, 3:
נר שיש לו שתי פיות, עולה לו בשביל שנים.
an oil lamp which has two "mouthpieces" is considered as two lamps.
Despite that ...
- 22.7k
8
votes
Who are the seven shepherds at the end of Maoz Tzur?
The reference is to Michah 5:4. The Talmud (Sukkah 52b) identifies them as King David in the middle, Adam, Seth, and Methuselah on his right, and Abraham, Jacob and Moses on his left.
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8
votes
Accepted
Why didn't the Greeks spoil Red heifer ashes?
Most of it wasn't kept in the Beis Hamikdash and the part that was in the Bais Hamikdash was kept in hidden places.
The Rambam in Hilchas Para Aduma Perek Gimmel says
אֵין מַכְנִיסִין כְּלוּם ...
- 4,963
8
votes
Accepted
Doing the mehadrin level differently -- does it invalidate the mitzvah?
Excellent question! In fact, this question should arise from the reading of that section of the Gemara in Shabbat 21b, which states that an elder in the city of Sidon in fact followed the view of Beit ...
- 20.9k
7
votes
Pronunciation of חשמונאי
Josephus transliterates the name as Ἀσαμωναίος. The transliterated form ω corresponds to long o (see Brønno, "Some nominal types in the Septuagint" in Classica et Mediaevalia 3 and Studien über ...
- 3,556
7
votes
Accepted
Can one light Chanukah candles with ear wax?
No, one cannot.
Mythbusters determined experimentally that earwax candles are not effective:
The skin cells, hair, fatty acids and cholesterol contained in earwax combust quickly and at different ...
- 47.8k
7
votes
Why can't we light Channukah Candles in the Day
The Tur (OC 672) says that lighting during the day doesn't work because (alluding to Chulin 60b) שרגא בטיהרא מאי אהני – "a candle in the daytime, what does it accomplish?" In other words, flames aren'...
- 97.4k
7
votes
Is the greeting "Happy Hanukka" kosher?
Chanuka is definitely a time for happiness and rejoicing.
The Rambam (Chanuka Perek 3) writes:
ומפני זה התקינו חכמים שבאותו הדור שיהיו שמונת ימים האלו שתחלתן כ"ה
בכסלו ימי שמחה והלל
As a result, ...
- 7,891
7
votes
Accepted
Yaavetz regarding the story with Yehudis not happening on Chanuka
I tried searching for sources that directly answer this, but haven't managed to find any, which is why the following is a guess. The Yaavetz, as @JoelK commented, likely based his knowledge on Sefer ...
- 24.9k
6
votes
Place the Menorah above 10 tefachim?
The Shevet Hakehasi 5:115:4 brings that the Chida (Machzik Bracha) was bothered by this postion of the Seder Hayom. The Shevet Hakehasi explains that this postion of the Seder Hayom can be reconciled ...
- 41k
6
votes
Maoz Tzur and Chanukah
It isn't known who wrote Maoz Tsur, although some scholars think that it was a 13th century German-speaking Jew named Mordekhai (sorry - only a Wikipedia reference for that one). It makes reference to ...
- 18.8k
6
votes
Accepted
Source for the words Nes Gadol Haya Sham
According to this article, the earliest mention of the significance of dreidel is in the late 18th century, and the first mention of it having been done in the time of Chanukah is from 1890.
So, ...
- 35.4k
6
votes
Accepted
Source for detail in the Chanukah story
At the minimum, the Rishonim mention this in their commentaries to Shabbat (23a), regarding the statement that women were included in the Hannukah miracle. The earliest of these Rishonim, is Rashi ...
- 35.4k
6
votes
Accepted
Is there a salutation/greeting recognizing the last day of Channukah for my Jewish friends?
Welcome to Mi Yodeya, and thanks for your efforts to show respect for your Jewish friends.
I'm not aware of any special greeting for the last day of Chanuka, in particular. "Happy Chanuka" is the ...
- 47.8k
6
votes
Does lighting an extra menorah need a Brachah?
A menorah that is lit for decoration does not get any blessing, as you are not performing any mitzvah. An analogy (somewhat) is that in many shuls, a menorah is lit during the day, but, as there is no ...
- 70k
6
votes
Which of the *Zugos* were in charge during the Chanukah story?
Adding to what @Schmerel wrote, the Chanukah story probably took place during the time of Yose ben Yoezer & Yose ben Yochanan and possibly also during the time of their students, Yehoshua ben ...
- 24.9k
6
votes
Accepted
Is there any interest in eating a baked donut on Chanuka?
R. Shlomo Zalman Auerbach has a novel interpretation of the custom to eat doughnuts (mentioned here). According to him, the point is to eat something which will entail reciting the beracha me'ein ...
- 41.8k
5
votes
Accepted
Chanuka Kaddish error after Hallel
Based on Rav Eliezer Melamed (Peninei Halacha Tefillah 23:2 fn3) where one said Kaddish Shalem after Tachanun, he quotes Ishei Yisrael 26:5 who says to skip the "Tiskabel line" when Kaddish Shalem ...
- 20.9k
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