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Why does the Rambam (רמב"ם) allow taking tzedakah money for Ner Chanukah (חנוכה) but not other mitzvos? The shiur distinguishes between personal obligations and community needs, showing that pirsumei nisa mitzvos serve the entire community's spiritual welfare. This explains why Chanukah candles merit communal funding — they restore Jewish unity that the Greeks sought to destroy.
This shiur presents a comprehensive analysis of the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s complex rulings regarding when one may take tzedakah money to fulfill mitzvos, focusing on the case of choosing between Ner Chanukah (חנוכה) and Kiddush when one only has a perutah. The speaker begins by examining the Rambam's ruling that Ner Chanukah takes precedence over Kiddush Hayom, despite both being rabbinic ordinances, and the difficulty this creates with the general principle that one need not spend more than a fifth of one's money on mitzvos. The analysis delves into the Magid Mishneh's explanation that one may take tzedakah for mitzvos involving pirsumei nisa (publicizing miracles), drawing from the precedent of Arba Kosos on Pesach (פסח). However, the speaker identifies a fundamental question: why should there be any allowance to take tzedakah for mitzvos at all, given that an ones (one who cannot fulfill a mitzvah (מצוה) due to circumstances) is exempt?
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Why doesn't Chanukah appear in the Mishna? The shiur develops a fundamental yesod: Chanukah represents the victory of Gemara—the human ability to use godly intellect (ner Hashem nishmas adam) to develop Torah SheBaal Peh. The Menorah symbolizes the soul's illumination through this koach, while the Mizbeach represents the body's recreation—together forming the complete tikkun of man.
Why does Megillas Esther interrupt Torah study for a message the world deemed ridiculous—that every man should rule his home? The shiur develops the yesod that the moon's willingness to "make itself small" doesn't diminish it but creates unified sovereignty. A woman who enables her husband to lead isn't relegated to second class—she is the king-maker, comfortable creating oneness where a man cannot.
Rambam Hilchos Chanukah, Hilchos Chametz U'Matzah 7:7, Hilchos Shabbos
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