3,231
edits
Minhagim of Chanukah: Difference between revisions
From Halachipedia
→Having a festive meal on Chanuka
| Line 13: | Line 13: | ||
===Learning laws of Chanuka=== | ===Learning laws of Chanuka=== | ||
# One should learn the laws of [[Chanukah]] before [[Chanukah]]. <Ref>Nitei Gavriel 1:15 quoting the Shlah at end of Maasechet [[Shabbat]] s.v. Tochechat </ref> | # One should learn the laws of [[Chanukah]] before [[Chanukah]]. <Ref>Nitei Gavriel 1:15 quoting the Shlah at end of Maasechet [[Shabbat]] s.v. Tochechat </ref> | ||
==Having a | ==Having a Festive Meal on Chanuka== | ||
# Some say there is a mitzvah to eat a festive meal on [[Chanukah]], while some say that there is only a partial mitzvah in commemoration of the Chanukat HaMizbe’ach of the Mishkan, and some say that there’s no obligation at all. <Ref> Gemara [[Shabbat]] 21b states that the days of [[Chanukah]] were instituted as days of “[[Hallel]] VeHodaah”. Rashi s.v. VeAsum explains Hodaah as Al Hanisim in birkat hoda’ah of amidah. However, the Rambam (Hilchot [[Chanukah]] 3:3) explains Hodah as Simcha. The Yam Shel Shlomo | # Some say there is a mitzvah to eat a festive meal on [[Chanukah]], while some say that there is only a partial mitzvah in commemoration of the Chanukat HaMizbe’ach of the Mishkan, and some say that there’s no obligation at all. <Ref> Gemara [[Shabbat]] 21b states that the days of [[Chanukah]] were instituted as days of “[[Hallel]] VeHodaah”. Rashi s.v. VeAsum explains Hodaah as Al Hanisim in birkat hoda’ah of amidah. However, the Rambam (Hilchot [[Chanukah]] 3:3) explains Hodah as Simcha. The Yam Shel Shlomo Baba Kamma 7:30 writes that the Rambam holds that meals of [[Chanukah]] are a mitzvah and not voluntary (see Moed Katan 9a). The Maaseh Rokeach (Chanuka 3:3) also understands the Rambam this way, as does Rav Shlomo Kluger (Binyan Shlomo on the Rambam Chanuka 3:3). The Bach 670 and 682 ruled likewise. However, both the Tur and S”A 670:1 rule that festive meals on [[Chanukah]] are only optional. This is the ruling of Maharam miRutenberg (Teshuva 605), Mordechai Pesachim 49b, Tashbetz Katan 170 <br /> | ||
* Why didn’t Chazal institute a festive meal on [[Chanukah]]? 1)The Levush 670:2 explains that there is a meal on [[Purim]] because the miracle was that Jews lives were saved from a physical threat, whereas on [[Chanukah]] the threat was a spiritual one against the Jewish soul. 2) The Taz 670:3 asks on the Levush, isn’t a spiritual threat greater than a physical one?! Therefore, the Taz offers another explanation | Lastly, Rama 670:2 writes that there is a partial mitzvah to have a festive meal on [[Chanukah]] as a commemoration of the Chanukat HaMizbe’ach in the desert. | ||
* Why didn’t Chazal institute a festive meal on [[Chanukah]]? 1)The Levush 670:2 explains that there is a meal on [[Purim]] because the miracle was that Jews lives were saved from a physical threat, whereas on [[Chanukah]] the threat was a spiritual one against the Jewish soul. 2) The Taz 670:3 asks on the Levush, isn’t a spiritual threat greater than a physical one?! Therefore, the Taz offers another explanation: since the miracle of [[Purim]] was made famous and brought happiness in this world, whereas on [[Chanukah]] the famous miracle of the oil only benefited the Jewish people in the next world and so there’s no institution of a festive meal. 3) The Chochmat Shlomo 670:2 says that since the spiritual threat of [[Chanukah]] was more dire, the miracle Hashem performed deducted from the merits of the Jewish people. 4) Halichot Shlomo (pg 320 note 32) explains even though we won the war and returned to the Mikdash we continue to fight the culture of the Greeks to this day and so there’s no festive meal. </ref> The minhag is to sing zemirot and say divrei Torah and then certainly the meal is a Seudat Mitzvah. <ref> Rama 670:2, Maharam miRutenberg (Teshuva 605), Mordechai Pesachim 49b, Yalkut Yosef (Moadim, pg 193), Chazon Ovadia Chanuka pg. 15-16. Kaf HaChaim 670:16 writes that the practical application of this is that since it’s a Seudat Mitzvah a Talmid Chacham is permitted to benefit from it. </ref> | |||
==Dairy, Sufganiyot, and Latkes== | ==Dairy, Sufganiyot, and Latkes== | ||
# The minhag is to eat dairy foods on [[Chanukah]], in commemoration of the miracle that happened with the righteous woman Yehudit, who tricked and killed the enemy using dairy. <Ref> Rama 670:2, Kitzur S”A 139:71, Chayei Adam [[Chanukah]] 154:3, Nitei Gavriel ([[Chanukah]] 51:12). See Nitei Gavriel who writes that the Sephardim don’t have this minhag and this is also implied by Chazon Ovadyah ([[Chanukah]] pg 18). However, Ben Ish Chai (Vayeshev (first year) #23) records this as a Sephardic minhag although he adds in Halacha 24 that the incident of Yehudit happened many years prior to the [[Chanukah]] story. Kaf Hachayim 670:17 agrees. </ref> | # The minhag is to eat dairy foods on [[Chanukah]], in commemoration of the miracle that happened with the righteous woman Yehudit, who tricked and killed the enemy using dairy. <Ref> Rama 670:2, Kitzur S”A 139:71, Chayei Adam [[Chanukah]] 154:3, Nitei Gavriel ([[Chanukah]] 51:12). See Nitei Gavriel who writes that the Sephardim don’t have this minhag and this is also implied by Chazon Ovadyah ([[Chanukah]] pg 18). However, Ben Ish Chai (Vayeshev (first year) #23) records this as a Sephardic minhag although he adds in Halacha 24 that the incident of Yehudit happened many years prior to the [[Chanukah]] story. Kaf Hachayim 670:17 agrees. </ref> | ||
