By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times

1.75 billion dollars is certainly a lot of money.

So when the Yankee Candle Company sold for that much money back in 2013, it is indicative that scented candles is a huge industry. People like scented candles. But let’s get back to our headline.

The case involved a freshly minted Baal Teshuvah, whose wife was not yet on-board with matters of religious observance. When he asked his wife permission to light Chanukah candles, she did not respond positively.
“What kind of custom is this?”

“This is dangerous!”

“It will cause a fire!”

The husband responded, “I am not just lighting candles – I am lighting aromatic candles so that a good smell could permeate the house.”

The wife readily agreed.

The question is, however, does using a scented or aromatic candle violate the prohibition of deriving benefit from the Chanukah candles?

PROHIBITION OF DERIVING BENEFIT

It is forbidden to derive any benefit (hanaah) from the Chanukah lamps or candles. One cannot read next to them or use the light for any other purpose. There are two reasons for this prohibition of hanaah.

1) Rashi explains that everyone must see that these lights are only for one purpose — to publicize the miracle.

2) The Ran explains that since these lights commemorate the Menorah that was in the Beis HaMikdash, the same halachos which pertain to the items of the Beis HaMikdash still apply: no benefit may be derived from these items.

It seems, however, that the term “any benefit” is limited to that of visually benefitting as in use of the lights. The language of the Mishna Brurah (673:11) indicates this. One just cannot do a maaseh, an action with them, such as counting money in front of them. Likewise, in his shaar haTziyun (673:11), the Mishna Brurah also permits walking toward the Chanukah lights when it is pitch dark, because this is not considered a regular benefit as he could have walked without the lights.

In a Sefer entitled m’rayach nichoach (p. 162) Rav Chaim Kanievsky’s response to this very question posed by Rabbi Gamliel HaKohen Rabbinowitz is that it is permitted since it is a davar sh’ain miskavain. Similarly, Rav Ovadya Yoseph is also cited as permitting it (See Yalkut Yoseph p340).

Finally, Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein, in his new Sefer on Chanukah also permits it.

This is not to say that the situation is ideal, however. In the case of the aforementioned individual – there is no doubt that the approach was correct.  Let us also recall, makom sh’baalei teshuvah omdim ain tzaddikim gmurim omdim.

MUSICAL CHANUKAH CANDLES

As an aside, a few years ago, someone invented a Chanukah wick that was attached to a metallic device. When the device was heated through the hot wick, it sent a signal to a recording that played Maoz Tzur on a small speaker.

The question was raised as to whether or not this constituted forbidden benefit from the Chanukah lights. At the time, this device was also permitted for the same reasoning (See Chashukei Chemed, Shabbos 22a).

SPEAKING OF CANDLES

There is a fascinating question as to why the emphasis of Chanukah is on the miracle of the oil and not upon the actual miracle of the military victories. Some say that the reason for this is that the Chachamim of the time were concerned that people would think the victory was because of the military tactics of the Chashmona’im and not because of Hashem’s Divine intervention.

Also, the Chashmona’im ultimately ended up assuming too much power. Because of this error, some of their descendants did not follow in the ways of Torah, and the country was divided by civil war. This is another reason why it is the oil that is commemorated.

A third reason is that the miracle of the flask of oil hints to the continued existence of the Jewish people throughout the darkness of the Galus, a miracle in and of itself. No other nation in the world ever existed in exile for so long and eventually returned to its land.

This miracle is attested to in the first Rashi of sefer Bereishis, in which Rashi states that Hashem started the Torah with “Bereishis bara” so that in the future, when the gentiles accuse us of stealing their land, we can say that Hashem created the world and gave the land to us. This Rashi was written over 900 years ago. The continued existence of Klal Yisrael — particularly in the land of Eretz Yisrael, where the gentiles are now in the United Nations are accusing us of stealing their land — is truly remarkable.

This Rashi is an inspiring neis and a remarkable foreshadowing of what has transpired this past week. In this author’s opinion, the Prime Minister of Israel and others who are speaking out againt Kerry and the Obama administration’s decision on the recent UN resolution should be quoting this Rashi.

The halachos of the prohibition of deriving benefit from the Chanukah candles teach us not to take away from the remarkable neis that Hashem has performed for us (Rashi). According to the Ran, they remind us of the menorah in the Beis HaMikdash. Both are ideas that we should focus upon during these last two nights of Chanukah.

May Hashem bring us yeshuos v’nechamos soon!

The author can be reached at [email protected]