The Extinguishing Menorah

כבתה זקוק לה- The Extinguishing Menorah
A. The Talmud
The Second Chapter of Tractate Shabbos opens with a discussion of the types of wicks and oils that may be used for lighting Shabbos candles. The concern on Shabbos is that the light should burn brightly and not go out after Shabbos has begun. Since the idea behind Shabbos candles is to ensure that there is light in the home so that Shabbos should be more enjoyable, we want to make sure that it burns brightly. Since adjusting or re-igniting the flame is prohibited on Shabbos, we want to make sure that the light is not apt to go out.
The question posed in the Gemara is whether or not the criteria for selecting wicks and oil are the same on Chanuka as they are on Shabbos. The issues revolve around whether or not you are responsible to relight the candles if they go out unexpectedly before the minimum half-hour burning time is over. If you are obligated to relight if it is extinguished then care should be taken to use the best quality wicks and oil so that it does not extinguish and you are not going to have to go through the trouble of relighting the candles. If however, you are no longer responsible once you lit the candles, and if they go out you have no obligation to relight, then we won't be so strict about what you choose as your wicks and fuel.
There would be a secondary issue when it comes to lighting Chanukah candles on Friday that will remain lit into Shabbos. The issue is f you may utilize the light of the Chanukah candles for your own purposes, e.g. reading by the light of the candles. If you may read by their light, we want you to use the highest quality so you are not going to be dealing with flickering light and tempted to extinguish. If, however, you are not permitted to utilize the light, then we are not concerned about the possibility of your needing to adjust the flame and you can use any type of wicks or oil.

B. How Shabbos affects us vs. how Chanukah affects us
The Meor Ainayim explains that on Shabbos it is the mandate of humanity to rise from the clutches of the temporal world and reconnect to God. It is necessary to create as pure and bright a light as possible in order that it rise up to higher levels as the Shabbos begins. Entering into Shabbos can't just happen by itself and requires preparation. As the Talmud says: One who prepares on Friday wil have what to eat on Shabbos.
On Chanukah the opposite occurs. God, so to speak, brings Himself down to this world and reaches everyone. Even those who can't produce the clearest, long burning, light are affected by the holiness of Chanukah. This is why we find that it is a widely observed holiday even among people who have jettisoned most other elements of observance. It is not necessary to have such high quality oils and wicks. On Chanukah anything goes.

Where is Chanukah to be Found?

As I mentioned in the previous post Chaukah receives a rather lengthy Talmudic discussion in the Second Chapter of Tractate Shabbos. However, that is in the Talmud. The Mishnah however does not discuss Chanukah whatsoever, and it only enters into a discussion in Tractate Shabbos in a tangential manner. (The Mishnah forms the corpus of the Oral Law and the Talmud is commentary on the Mishnah, primarily focused on the source material for the Mishnah as well as explanation of Mishnaic statements. This is not the place for a comprehensive discussion of the nature of the Mishnah and Talmud, please use the links on the words above (each leads to a different source) for more information.)
All the other holidays, with the exception of Shavuot which lacks any unique mitzvoth, have tractates devoted to their study: Pesachim, Rosh Hashonah, Yoma, Sukkah, Megillah. Chanukah, by contrast, is mentioned only in a second-hand manner in a number of places. One example is that in the midst of a discussion about responsibility for starting a fire, the Mishnah speaks of a store-keeper who has a lamp burning outside his store which catches on the load of a passing animal creating a conflagration. A discussion ensues if the consequences were different if the lamp was a Chankah Menorah. But there is no comprehensive discussion in the Mishnah about lighting Chanukah candles, while, by contrast, there is a lengthy discussion about the laws on reading the Megillah on Purim. Why did the Sages of the Mishnah choose to ignore Chanukah when writing the Mishnah.
Needless to say there are many answers offered to this question. I will share with you the answer of the CHID"A. He notes that the purpose of the Mishnah was to commit to writing what had previously been taught and studied orally. The Torah in written form is a very terse document that demands further elaboration and explanation. That explanation had been provided to Moshe at Mt. Sinai by God orally and was transmitted in that manner for 2,000 years. When people began to have difficulty with memorizing the entire body of work Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi took it upon himself to edit and redact the Mishnah.
However, even before his time there were certain works that had been committed to writing. One of those is called Megillath Taanith, which is a compilation of historical events in which the Jewish people faced an existential threat and were saved. In ancient times each of these days was a minor holiday. Chanukah was already included within Megillath Taanith, it was not a part of the Oral Law, but was already in writing. Indeed, much of our discussion in Tractate Shabbos revolves around the statements about Chaukah that are found in Megillath Taanith which includes details about the laws of Chanuakh as well. As such there was no need for Chanukah to be included in the Mishnah as a tractate in its own right.

The Goal of this Blog

Chanukah!
An oft-misunderstood, though commonly celebrated, holiday on the Jewish calendar.
I would like to offer a peek into Chanukah through the eyes of the Talmudic Sages. In the midst of Tractate Shabbos the Talmud diverts into a lengthy discussion of the specific mitzvoth of Chanukah as well as some historical background. A careful examination of this Talmudic discussion can offer us a deeper understanding of the holiday and its observance making it a more meaningful experience for all.
For each discussion in the Talmud I will offer a synopsis of the issues at hand, as well as the conclusion. Please bear in mind that we generally do not arrive at Halachic conclusions just from a simple reading of the Talmud and this is not intended to be a practical Halachic guide. For those matters please consult your rabbi.
Additionally, I will share with you some deeper insights from Chassidic and Kabbalistic sources as to the meaning and significance of the observance of Chanukah and how they relate to each Talmudic discussion.
While there are in print countless anthologies that offer many explanations of the meaning of Chanukah, I am hoping that this work will be different in two ways:

1. By using theTalmud as the template for beginning the discussions it will offer somewhat different perspective
2. I will endeavor where possible to offer explanations that are different than the standard fare that you will find in most sources, while hopefully bringing meaningful insight.

I hope you enjoy the ride along with me!