Reb Eliezer

CS, They say that for your reason, better than necessary, we go after mehadrin which we usually don’t do.

There is a custom to light Chanukah candles in the morning without a brocho. The question is שרגא בטיהרא מאי מהני what is the need of light in the daytime? There Sheorim Mezuyonim Behalacha says that this is done to commemorate the view of the Rambam. There is an argument between the Rambam Hilchas Temidim and Musofim 3:12 says that if the candles go out in the morning you relight it when you clean it out because it is part of the cleaning process but the Rashba holds that we only clean it and light it in the afternoon. Maybe since we are doing it to remember the Rambam’s view, we light it in the morning even though no light is necessary and it cannot be seen as there was no need for light in the Mikdash, whereas if it iis for publicising the miracle, the candles need to be seen.

Rabbi Chaim says that the neis was in quality איכות and not in quantity כמות . The same oil was able to burn longer for eight days until new oil was made and not that there was a miracle with additional oil because then that would be miracle oil and not olive oil.

Some say that lighting with an electric menorah is a similar problem lacking the shiur.

The Chasam Sofer explains that the Menorah which is placed above 20 amos is פסולה because the eyes are unable to see. The expression pesula applies to min Hatorah mitzvos which is understood with the above Behag. The Ksav Sofer says that placing it above is a problem because he is completely relying on help from the heavens when the Chashmanoim did not do that but fought to help themselves. Ruvein suggested to throw Yosef in the pit even though there were scorpions there but he did whatever he could to save him. They are in Hashem’s control but people have free choice so are dangerous to do bad.

It is interesting that by a קורה a beam which is because of mechitza even though if we say כתותי we can still not see through is not good because it does not have a shiur.

There is an argument between Tosfas in Maseches Shabbos where he says that we don’t light for each individual because you won’t know how many days and individuals we have, so every day they all light one and the Rambam in begining of the 4th perek Hilchas Chanukah says that baal habayis lights ccording the days and people. The RMA SA O’CH 671 says that everyone lights according to the number of the current day. So why does the Rambam pasken that the baal habayis lights for everyone? The Bais Halevi explains that uf there is no main mitzva there is no hidur mitzva. He brings a proof from the halacha of the skins that are on the orlah. When it interferes with the milah you must return to cut it on shabbos, but it does not interfere with the milah then the milah is done already and this would be a hidur mitzva and ypu are not allowed to return for it. Similarly the lighting by each individual is a hiddur mitzva and therefore the one who does the main mitzva must light it. The RMA might hold that this is not a hidur in the candle lighting itself so this is how the chazal instituted the mitzva in the first place so everyone can light by themselves.

וישב יעקב, Yaakov Avinu wanted to live in peace so Hashem said, isn’t it enough for the tzadikim to gain Gan Eden after life they also want to enjoy this life so the worry of Yosef fell on him. The question is why doesn’t Hashem want that they should gain both worlds? Explains the Ksav Sofer that the tzadik must worry his whole life that he might not gain the world to come and thereby he will improve himself and be able to gain it actually and the same time since his life is constantly a worry, he loses the benefits of this world. Whereas the wicked don’t believe in the next world to come or they are sure they will gain it, will not improve themselves and thereby enjoy themselves this world and lose the benefits of the next world. Therefore a tzadik can never lose the worry for the gaining of the next world, so Yaakov Avinu had the worry about Yosef and worry that maybe he will lose his after life because he can only gain after life if all children alive.

As Beis Yosef asks what was a neis the first day since the pitcher was enough for the first day. He answers that they divided the oil for eight days so it was not enough for the first day. The Pnei Yeshuah in Shabbos explains that this is the reason for the Beis Shamai for lighting backwards from eight to one because the neis was recognized in the pitcher where the oil was seen to diminish from eight eights to one eight. The Beis Hillel holds that they used the whole oil the first day so the neis increased day by day. The Ksav Sofer explains that this is the argument if we have to relight it if it goes out. Those who hold that we must relight it also believe that they divided the oil. An eight part can burn a little so the neis was that it burned long so if we don’t relight it, we are not commemorating the neis. The Taz says that some oil was left over the first day and this is the meaning ומנותר קנקנים נעשה נס לשושנים, because the brocho cannot fall on nothing, as we find by Eliyahu that the oil only materialized as long there were pitchers.