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Laws of Chanukah
1. The Sages ordained that we should light the menorah for eight days. This alludes to the verse "the days of our years are seventy years, and if with strength, eighty years." (Tehillim, 90:10). And this is a reminder to light up our days with mitzvahs (The Essence of Chanukah, Rabbi Dovid Meisels).
2. It is a widespread custom in our regions to follow the practice of the most scrupulously observant, whereby each member of the family kindles one light on the first night, two lights on the second, and keeps adding until, on the eighth night, he kindles eight lights. You should be careful that each person places his menorah in a separate place, so that one can easily tell how many lights are lit that night. The menorah should not be in a place where candles are lit all year, in order to make it very clear that these are Chanukah Lights (Kitzur Shulchan Aruch).
A Torah Thought for Today
"Walking in His ways". This means, cultivating and correcting one's character traits. For example: just as HaShem is merciful, be merciful as much as possible. (One Minute at a Time, Rabbi Moshe Goldberger). |
