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What distinguishes basic ner Chanukah (חנוכה) from mehadrin - beautification or additional mitzvah (מצוה) dimensions? Rashi (רש"י) holds mehadrin adds commemoration of the military victory to the oil miracle, explaining why we can make berachos on extra candles and exceed normal hiddur limits. The Rambam (רמב"ם) views it as transforming a household obligation into individual adult obligations.
This shiur presents an in-depth analysis of Gemara (גמרא) Shabbos (שבת) 21a, focusing on the halachos of ner Chanukah (חנוכה) and fundamental conceptual disagreements between Rashi (רש"י) and Rambam (רמב"ם). The discussion begins with the Beis HaLevi's principle regarding esrogim - that one cannot make a berachah on hiddur mitzvah (מצוה) after already fulfilling the basic mitzvah, since once the mitzvah is complete, beautification becomes meaningless. This raises questions about ner Chanukah: can one make a berachah on additional candles if they forgot to make a berachah on the first candle? The shiur examines three major kashyos: the K'sav Yerir's question about making berachos on hiddur mitzvah, Rabbeinu Hananel's question about why hiddur mitzvah by Chanukah exceeds the usual limit of one-third (shlish) mentioned in Bava Kamma, and the Rambam's ruling regarding milah that once you remove your hand from performing a mitzvah, you cannot return to beautify it. The Gemara's fundamental phrase 'ner ish u'veiso' is interpreted differently by Rashi and Rambam. According to Rashi, it refers to a personal obligation on the family (bnei bayis), meaning one candle suffices for the entire household regardless of size. The Rambam understands it as an obligation on the house itself (anshei habayis), referring specifically to adults. For hiddur mitzvah (mehadrin), Rashi requires one candle per family member including children, while the Rambam requires one per adult (anshei habayis). The shiur proposes that according to Rashi, 'mehadrin achar mitzvos' means pursuing additional mitzvos rather than beautifying existing ones. The basic ner Chanukah commemorates the miracle of the oil, while mehadrin adds commemoration of the military victory - explaining why we light according to family size (representing those saved in battle). This interpretation resolves the shlish problem since we're adding mitzvah dimensions rather than beautifying, and explains why berachos can be made on additional candles (they represent separate mitzvos). According to the Rambam, the mitzvah is a house obligation, and mehadrin transforms it into personal obligations for each adult household member. One person lights on behalf of all adults, similar to how ner Shabbos involves both spouses. This explains why minhag Sfarad (each person lighting their own menorah) aligns with Rambam's understanding. The Rambam's approach resolves Tosafos (תוספות)'s question about mehadrin min hamehadrin potentially appearing as fewer candles than mehadrin, since each lighting represents individual fulfillment rather than household beautification. The shiur concludes that these represent two fundamentally different understandings: Rashi sees multiple commemorative aspects within Chanukah, while Rambam distinguishes between war commemoration (yom tov and hallel) and separate Temple miracle commemoration (hadlakas neiros).
Shabbos 21a
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