A poor person lighting Chanukah Candles: Difference between revisions

# If someone has enough oil for all the nights with hiddur, and his friend doesn’t have anything, one should give his friend enough for the basic requirement. However if your friend is a household member of a house that already has one set of candles, one doesn’t need to give up his hiddur for his friend’s hiddur. <ref> Magan Avraham 671:1 writes that it’s better that one allow his friend to do the basic mitzvah and forfeit his hiddur mitzvah. Eliyah Raba 671:3 limits this to where the friend isn’t a household member, but in a case where the friend is a household member of a house that already has one set of candle and is just lighting his own menorah (as per Minhag Ashkenazim) for hiddur, one shouldn’t give up from his hiddur mitzvah for your friend’s hiddur. So holds the Machsit HaShekel 671:1, Pri Megadim A”A 671:1, Chaye Adam 154:25, Mishna Brurah 671:6, Kaf Hachaim 671:9. Chemed Moshe argues on the Magan Avraham that one doesn’t need to give for someone else’s mitzvah. Similarly, Torat Hamoadim (Chanuka pg 30-31) and Sh”t Machneh Chaim Kama (O”C 29, Y”D 3:55 pg 41a) argue that the Magan Avraham didn’t mean it as an obligation but as a chesed. However, Sh”t Mechtam Ledavid O”C 6 and Sh”t Lev Chaim (1:91 pg 126d) understand the Magan Avraham that it is an obligation. Chazon Ovadyah (Chelek 1 Vol 2 Siman 47) concludes that one must give the candles. Nonetheless Torat HaMoadim(Chazon Ovadiah’s son) argues that Chazon Ovadiah just meant it is preferable as a chesed. </ref>

# Someone who doesn’t have money for both Shabbat candles (the minimum is one candle) and Chanuka candles (the minimum is one candle) should buy Shabbat Candles, however nowadays one can fulfill Shabbat candles with a bracha on electric lights and so one who has electric lights should buy Canuka candles. <ref> Shabbat 23b Rava says that Shabbat candles which are for Shalom bayit take precedence over Chanuka candles, but Chanuka candles which are for Pirsumei nisa (publicizing the miracle) take precedence over kiddish. So hold Rambam (Chanuka 4:14), Tur and S”A 678. Or Zaruh 2:326 implies this is only someone who only has one candle but someone with two would light one for Shabbos and one for Chanuka. So writes Magan Avraham 678:1, Eliyah Raba 678:1, Mishna Brurah 678:1. Tur 296, Rama 296:5 hold Chanuka candles take precedence over Havdalah. The reason that Chanuka precedes kiddish is because kiddish can be done on bread, but if one doesn’t have wine or bread then bread precedes Chanuka candles because kiddish is a Deoritta (according to many Rishonim) and even if it’s derabanan (Ramam) still bread takes precedence (either because the Rambam would agree kiddish is deoritta if one doesn’t make it even on bread or that kiddish is a Derabanan learned out of a pasuk), see Torat Moed Chanuka pg 34-6). </ref>

==Related Pages==

# [[Lighting Chanuka Candles]]

==References==

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