HILCHUS CHANUKA 670 Seif 1

The miracle of Chanuka was that they found a bottle of oil with the Kohain Gadol’s seal on it.

1) Tosfos asks: If it would be true that the Rabbanon decreed that Goyim are Mitameh like a Zav , why are we not worried that the Goyim moved the oil and Mitameh it without touching it?(touching the bottle from the outside would not mitameh the bottle that would in turn Mitamah the oil, since it was an earthenware bottle that is not Mitameh from the outside). Tosfos answers that it was found in a hole were it couldn’t have been moved. Rashi says it was noticeable that it wasn’t hampered with. Ran answers, if the Goyim handled it, they would of definitely break it in order to check if it contains valuables, since having the Kohain Gadol’s seal is a sign something special is inside. (Maybe this is also the reason of Rashi how we know it wasn’t tampered with.)

2) The B"Y asks: Why did they have to wait 8 days for Tahor oil? He answers, in order to have the 7 days of sprinkling the Mai Chatos to Metaher them (since they were all Tamai from dead bodies during the war) and 1 day to make the oil. The Ran answers that there was Tahor oil 4 days away, so it took 8 days traveling back and forth.

3) The B"Y asks: why are there 8 nights of Chanuka, since there were only 7 nights of miracles, since they had enough oil for one night? He answers 1) they only put in every night 1/8th of the oil. 2) That the 1st night it never lost any oil 3) that it replenished itself in the morning, so it was noticeable the miracle even on the 1st day.

4) It’s a custom for woman not to do work while the lights are lit so to be a reminder that you may not use the lights for personal use. You cannot let them be lenient on them by allowing them not to practice this custom.

5) The Tur writes there are places that have a custom not to work the whole day, and you shouldn’t be lenient for them, even though it’s really permitted. This is because the rule that permitted things that people are accustomed to prohibit; you may not do them in front of them. The B"Y argues and says that rule only applies when it’s at least loosely based on a prohibition, but here it’s not based on safeguarding a prohibition, so you may allow them to do it.

Seif 2

Maharam from Rutinburg says that there is no reason to make a festive meal on Chanuka, since they only decreed a day of saying Hallel and giving praise (Tur: by saying Al Hanisim), but not by making festive meals. The D"M brings the Mordichai that says, even though they didn’t decree a day of festivity for the miracle, but they decreed festivity for the dedication of the Mizbeach as it says in a Medrish. The Hagahos Minhagim says we should sing praises of Hashem so it should be a Sudas
Mitzva. The Ran says there is a custom to eat cheese on Chanuka, since the miracle of Yehudis was done by feeding the general cheese and intoxicated him afterwards and cut off his head.

Seif 3

1) You may not eulogize a man on Chanuka except for a Chachum while he’s still in front of them (not buried yet). D"M says on the day you heard the news of the death has the same Halachic law of being in front of them.

quote:

4) It’s a custom for woman not to do work while the lights are lit so to be a reminder that you may not use the lights for personal use. You cannot let them be lenient on them by allowing them not to practice this custom.

What is the definition of prohibited work while the lights are lit? How to distinguish between this prohibited work and prohibited work on Shabbos or Yom Tov?

Since one can clear plates from a table on Shabbos, does that mean that it is permissible to clear plates from the table if one was eating while the lights were lit?

And since one is not permitted to pour hot water onto a tea bag during Shabbos, is it permissible to do that while the lights are lit?

I think it means the sort of work that might be forbidden on Chol HaMoed, like doing the laundry.

I don't have access to the sefer on Hanukkah, but are we talking melachot or are we talking avoda? If the latter, how are they exegetically derived, if we are not using melachot? What kind of avoda is not allowed? Yisroel mentioned laundry. What about cooking, sewing or shechting?
Avi

quote:

Originally posted by Rav Chaim:
HILCHUS CHANUKA 670 Seif 1

4) It’s a custom for woman not to do work while the lights are lit so to be a reminder that you may not use the lights for personal use. You cannot let them be lenient on them by allowing them not to practice this custom.

Rav Chaim,

I know that with some communities (particularly, in Yemen), this halacha has had with them different connotations, and that some have practiced leniency with regard to women who were pressed and did work while the Chanukka lights were burning. As a first resort, however, they should not do any work while the lights are burning, lest perhaps the additional candle known as the "shamash" has been extinguished and she benefits from the light generated by the Chanukka candles alone. (See: Beis Yoseph on the Tur).

Anyone who works by the aid of the Chanukka lights alone transgresses the rabbinic prohibition which says לא יהיו המצות בזויות בעיניו

A certain Yemenite Rabbi in Benei Barak holds the opinion that we ought to be strict with women, and not allow them to do any work at all while the lights are burning. He wrote:

מותר לעשות מלאכה בימי חנוכה אך יש נשים שנוהגות לא לעשות מלאכה (ואפילו לא לבשל) כל זמן שהנרות דולקות, דהיינו כחצי שעה, ואין להקל להן.

When I asked Rabbi Yoseph Qafih z"l about this some years back, this is what he said to me:

אם היה צורך גדול לעשות איזה שהוא מלאכה נהגו להקל בזה

"If there was a pressing need to do any work [while the lights were burning], they have it as a practice to be lenient in this regard."

I have understood the latter Rabbi as meaning that, whichever way you look at it, there is another candle, the "shamash," which is burning, and most likely, it has not been extinguished. Therefore, the work that is done, it is done at the aid of its light.

David

SIMAN 671

Seif 1
The Rabanan decreed that we must light a flame, since the miracle happened through a flame. The Rambam writes that one must be very diligent to light that even someone who is poor and receives alms, he needs to borrow or even sell the shirt off his back in order to buy oil
for the Menorah, as is the case by the 4 cups of wine by Pasech, because of the obligation to publicize the miracle. Anyone who is careful with it will be merited with children who are Talmidai Chachumim, As Rashi explains, since it says "because the flame of a Mitva the light of the Torah", through the flame of the Mitzvah of chanuka you’ll have children that gives off the light of the Torah

Seif 2
The Mitzvah is to have a flame for each man and his household. To beautify the Mitzvah that every person in his household lights one flame.
The most beautiful way to do it is according to Bais Shamai start the first night with 8 flames, and decrease one flame every night. Bais
Hillel says the opposite. You start off with 1 light and add one every night. The reasons for Bais Shamai were to be like the bulls that were
brought on Sukkos that decreased as the days go by. Also, to show how many days are left. The reasons for Bais Hillel are because we always
rise in holy thing, and not go down. Also, to show how many days already passed.

The Rambam holds that the last way means that the head of the house lights as many flames as the count of the household for how many days
there is. If there are 10 people in the house, the first night he lights 10, the second night lights 20 etc. Tosfos holds that only the head of the house lights how many days there was and not the amount of people in the house, or else there would be no way to figure from the amount of flames how many days passed. The Bais Yosef says the custom is like Tosfos. The D"M brings the Mahra from Prague who says that nowadays we
light inside, since the publicizing of the miracle is for the household and they know how many people are there and thus know how many days went by (by dividing the flames by how many people are in the house.) Also, you need not put them all by the door, so you can spread them out, So, even to Tosfos you can have a flame for everybody

Seif 3
1) A candlestick that has 2 openings for 2 wicks to come out can be used as 2 flames (or according to those who let everyone light, it may be used for 2 people.)

Seif 4
If you fill a bowl with oil and put many wicks in it, if you cover them (and have 1 wick coming out of each hole) then it can be used as many flames, but without covering it, it’s not good for even one flame, since it’s considered a bonfire.

The Rosh and Baal Iter say that even when uncovered, if there is a finger’s breadth between the wicks, it’s OK. The Tur asks on them, how can you give an amount of distance that we won’t consider the flames coming together to make a bonfire, it all depends on the thickness of the wick. The B"Y answers that they’re talking about a middle size wick,
thinner or thicker wicks distance will be proportionately either further or closer together.

D"M writes you should not have the wicks in a circular pattern or one sticking out and one in, because it is similar to a bonfire. but in a
lamp is fine, since each wick has it’s own compartment.
He also writes you shouldn’t keep candles touching each other, besides that it’s like a bonfire, the heat will melt the wax candles and they’ll eventually collapse

The Piskei T'shuva talks about what's the Geder. The main Shita, is as R' Yisroel mentioned, that it's new better than Chal Hamoed (though laundry i would think it might not be included, since the whole reason it's prohibited on Chal hamoad, so you shouldn't come into the Yom Tov with unwashed clothing (so this forces you to wash them before YT,) which wouldn't apply to Chanuka. The Piskei Tshuva Hanal prohibits it like R' Yisrael says V'TZurech Iyun)

Thus cooking and Shechting would be permitted, though the Minhag is that women in general don't Shect, but sewing would be permitted.