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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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Rambam Hilchos Chanukah, Hilchos Chametz U'Matzah 7:7, Hilchos Shabbos
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