I have seen the article by Rabbi Yair Hoffman regarding public menorah lightings (“Controversial Chanukah Lightings: At Home – NOT IN A Whyhtba, Ryhtba, Pyhtba or Ayhtba”), and I would like to respectfully respond to several points he made in the article.

[Disclaimer: I am neither a rov nor an askan. Nor do I represent any group or organization. I am a simple yeshiva bochur who is involved in spreading Yiddishkeit in his free time. During Chanukah vacation, I spend my time doing pirsumei nisa, including participating in public menorah lightings around the world. This led me to write this response.]

Lighting Menorah in Shul

In his article, the author proves that when lighting a menorah outside the home, a brachah can only be recited if it is in shul.

Although I am not a rov (as mentioned before), I would like to go into the Halachic discussion briefly and share some thoughts. However, my main focus is later where we discuss the opinions of modern day poskim.

The author understands the opinion of the Vilna Gaon that “we would need both a minhag in Klal Yisroel to be combined with Pirsumei Nisa.” He concludes that since there is no minhag to light menorah at public gatherings, a brachah cannot be recited.

It seems quite difficult to say that the minhag of lighting the menorah publicly is limited to a shul; although in Europe that was the most practical place to light the menorah publicly, it seems that the parameter of the minhag applies to any public place. If one would argue that the minhag is only exactly as it was done originally and can’t be changed, I could argue further: The minhag was only to light menorah in the shuls of Europe, and we have no right to make “new minhagim” and start lighting menorah in the United States. Obviously, this is not the case; we must look into the idea and goal of the minhag, which is Pirsumei Nisa, so that we can understand its parameters.

This is further clarified when reading the Beis Yosef. The author paraphrased the Beis Yosef that we light in shul “to publicize the miracle which can be done better in shul.” But the Beis Yosef actually seems to emphasize that this minhag is not connected to shul, rather to any gathering of people, as the Beis Yosef writes: “[We light the menorah in shul] in order to publicize the miracle before the entire nation and to recite the blessings before them since this is an enormous public declaration for the Holy One and a sanctification of His name when we bless Him in large groups.” – Not necessarily in shul, but in any “large group” (“מקהלות”).

We can say the same regarding the third answer that the mitzvah of menorah was expanded to a shul – simply, this means that the mitzvah was expanded to a public gathering of Jews, e.g. a shul, or any other public gathering.

Recent Poskim

The author brings several “Leading Poskim who Forbid,” followed by “Poskim who do Not Forbid” (perhaps implying that only those who forbid are to be called “Leading Poskim,” whereas those who do not forbid are “Poskim Stam”!?). He concludes, “It is clear that the overwhelming majority of Gedolei Yisroel rule that it is forbidden to recite a blessing at a lighting that is not at a home venue or a shul.”

When listing the Poskim who do not forbid, the author writes, “Interestingly enough, the author of Az Nid’bru rules that a Bracha can be made on lightings in a public area in Israel.” I have not seen anywhere that the Az Nid’bru limits his ruling to Eretz Yisroel. Not only does he rule that “a Bracha can be made” anywhere, but he explains how in some aspects the mitzvah is only fulfilled if the menorah is also lit publicly, and he writes that lighting the menorah in the public outdoors is “better than lighting in shul, since it is literally outdoors.”

The Az Nid’bru (Rav Binyomin Yehoshua Zilber zt”l) actually mentions the opinions that disagree with him (including the Minchas Yitzchak and Rav S.Z Auerbach), and says that he nevertheless stands strongly by his opinion. Az Nid’bru vol. 11 #34: “Although there are gedolim in our time who oppose this ruling, I still stand by it. I saw what the Minchas Yitzchak wrote . . . and yet according to what I explained earlier it is clear that this is not a new minhag.”

There are also other poskim who endorse making a brachah during a public gathering who were not mentioned in the article (I use the word ‘endorse’ although the author wrote “do not forbid”, implying that those poskim permit as a ‘bidiyeved’, which does not seem to be the case). I will list a several of them:

The Mishnas Yaakov (Hilchos Chanuka 3:4 (3)) rules that just as one may make a brachah when lighting in shul, he may also do so when lighting in any public place, “for very often this is much greater Pirsumei Nisa than when lighting in shul.”

The Yitzchak Yiranen (vol. 5 #42) rules so as well.

Although the Imrei Eliyahu (#40) writes that one should not make a brachah at a public gathering, Rav Shalom Messas disagrees in his Haskoma to the sefer: “Regarding the public menorah lightings organized by Chabad around the world, I have been invited very often to such gatherings, and I light the menorah there with a brachah,” and he goes on to explain why a brachah is permitted in such a case, and he concludes “there is no doubt in this whatsoever.”

From all the above it is clear that there are plenty of leading poskim on both sides, including poskim who say that there is no worry of Safek Brachos Lehakel. It remains unclear to me what led the author to declare unequivocally that “here it is not just a case of Safek Brachos, as the overwhelming majority of Poskim hold not to make such a blessing,” and “the overwhelming majority of Gedolei Yisroel rule that it is forbidden to recite a blessing at a lighting that is not at a home venue or a shul.” Rather it seems that one must behave as one does whenever there is a great machlokes between poskim; everyone should ask their own Rav and follow his ruling.

[After writing this article, I saw that Rabbi Pesach Schmerling (Chabad Shliach of Far Rockaway) responded to a similar article last year, and he brought a fascinating idea from Rav Yaakov Emden zt”l in Mor Uketziah (Siman 672) that Safek Brachos Lehakel does not apply to the berachos on lighting the menorah, because without a berachah there is no pirsumei nisa, as one might think that the person needs the light for personal reasons. When reading the megillah, if one doesn’t recite the blessing due to a doubt, he is still publicizing the miracle by the actual reading of the megillah, whereas lighting candles without a berachah does not publicize the miracle at all. I would like to add that this is also clear from the aforementioned Beis Yosef who clearly emphasizes that the pirsumei nisa lies specifically in reciting the brochah publicly.]

Position of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Since this article seemed to be directed toward Chabad, I would like to focus on the Rebbe’s position.

The author writes, “Nowhere in his writings did the Lubavitcher Rebbe ever say that a blessing should be recited.”

In general, when someone is instructed to light the menorah, it is automatically implied that this means with a blessing, as this is the classic way of lighting the menorah (incidentally, this is the very claim of the “leading poskim who forbid” – the idea that “Ein lecha bo ela chidusho”). On the contrary, since in all the times that he endorsed public menorah lightings, nowhere does the Rebbe say that a blessing should not be recited, it is implied that it is no different than any lighting of the menorah, which is done with a blessing.

The greatest proof is from the Sicha which the author himself brought: “In the Sichos of Parshas VaYeishev printed Toras Menachem 5747 Vol. II page 98, the Lubavitcher Rebbe zt”l writes specifically that an announcement should be made at these lightings that one does not fulfill the Mitzvah with this lighting. . . .  Nowhere in his writings . . .  did he state that it is just like a shul.”

This statement is very surprising, for in that sicha itself (which was edited by the Rebbe), it is clear that the Rebbe does compare public menorah lightings to a shul: The Rebbe says, “It is best to announce that one does not fulfill his obligation with the public lighting, rather everyone should light the Chanukah lights at his home.” Then the Rebbe explains the reason for this announcement (fn. 80): “For the Rema rules (OC 671:7) that ‘A person does not fulfill his obligation with the lights of the synagogue, and needs to kindle again in his own house.’”

From here it is clear that lighting the menorah at a public gathering is the same as in shul, and the reason why one does not fulfill the mitzvah at a public lighting not because a brochah is not recited, rather because it is just like a shul where one does not fulfill the mitzvah even though a brachah is made.

In addition, from 5750-5753 Chabad has organized the Chanukah Live program, which included the lighting of menorah with a brachah around the world, including many non-shul locations, for example: Eiffel Tower Plaza in Paris, Logan Hall in London, 5th Avenue in NYC, Kremlin and the Red Square in Moscow, and more. The Rebbe approved of every detail of the program, endorsed it, and watched it personally on live broadcast year after year, thus making his position clear.

During the live broadcast of Chanukah Live 5752, the Rebbe actually mentioned the fact that the menorahs were lit around the world with a brochah (Sicha #2 – Sichos Kodesh 5752 vol. 2 pg. 438): “It is remarkable that we are using satellites, so that instantaneously we can see how people in several distant locations kindle the Chanukah lights, and how they make the brachos, thus blessing Hashem.” This does not seem to fit with the statement “Nowhere in his writings did the Lubavitcher Rebbe ever say that a blessing should be recited.”

[The above statement seems to imply that the author has gone through all of the Rebbe’s (Chanukah?) sichos (at least briefly) so that he can attest that kindling with a brochah is mentioned “nowhere in his writings.” Hence it is quite astonishing that in a later article regarding the term “Bichatzros kadshecha” (“Wait One Second!  Did the Chashmonayim Actually Move the Menorah Outside??”), the author makes no mention whatsoever of the Rebbe’s lengthy, in-depth discussion of the topic in Likkutei Sichos (vol. 25 pg. 235-242)!]

***

I would like to add a small story that demonstrates how the Rebbe did interfere when he felt that a menorah lighting was not Halachically proper: In 5739, a menorah was lit on the White House Lawn in the presence of President Jimmy Carter (as the author mentioned in the article). The President lit the shamash, and the (Jewish) domestic policy chief Stuart Eizenstat recited the blessing and lit the four candles. The President then commented to the program organizer, Rabbi Shemtov, that it would be more appropriate to light the entire menorah, despite it only being the fourth night. After some deliberation, Rabbi Shemtov acquiesced, and all eight candles were lit.

On the following day, Rabbi Shemtov received a call from the Rebbe’s secretariat with a message from the Rebbe: “Fun dir hob ich ervartert besser” – “I expected more from you.” The Rebbe did not hide his criticism when he felt it necessary.

May this Chanukah only increase in light, through declaring the miracle of Chanukah and all other miracles that Hashem does for us with great publicity, and through this (see Sanhedrin 94a, Sefer Hasichos 5752 pg. 185) may we merit the true and complete Redemption, when the light of Moshiach will shine to the entire world, may it be speedily in our days!

Happy Chanukah!
Menachem Machsonai

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