No community start suggestion yet.
Why does seeing a Chanukah (חנוכה) menorah require a blessing, when seeing other mitzvos performed does not? The Greeks sought to destroy not individual Jews but the Jewish community itself, forcing each person to declare "we have no share in the God of Israel." Chanukah's unique laws—lighting where others can see, making blessings upon seeing another's menorah—reflect our counter-declaration: we are responsible for each other's commitment to Torah (תורה), and the community's identity must remain pure.
Rabbi Zweig explores the unique halachos of Ner Chanukah (חנוכה) that distinguish it from all other mitzvos. Unlike other mitzvos where only the one performing the mitzvah (מצוה) makes a blessing, by Chanukah even one who merely sees a lit menorah (haroeh Ner Chanukah) must make a berachah of she'asah nisim. Tosafos (תוספות) in Sukkah daf 46 attributes this to chavivah samitzvah (special affection for the mitzvah), but Rabbi Zweig suggests a deeper explanation rooted in the nature of the Greek decrees. The shiur examines several perplexing halachos: A person whose home abuts two streets must light on both sides so passersby won't think he failed to light. If one lights inside and then brings the menorah outside, though technically fulfilling the mitzvah, this is discouraged because observers might think the light was lit for personal use rather than for the mitzvah. These laws seem to place unusual emphasis on public perception—why should we be so concerned with what others think?
Looking for the full summary?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
Sukkah 46a (Tosafos); Midrash Rabbah Bereishis; Al Hanissim
Looking for the full transcript?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
Dedicate a Shiur in Holidays
L'ilui nishmas a loved one. In honor of a simcha or yahrzeit. As a zechus for a refuah sheleimah. Your dedication helps carry Rabbi Zweig's Torah to learners around the world.
Up Next in this Series
How was Yitzchok comforted after Sarah's death through marrying Rivka? The Hebrew 'vayinachem' means both comfort and change of direction, revealing that healing comes through shifting focus outward. Depression and mourning are self-absorbed states; true comfort emerges when we channel our pain into caring for others.
How could Avrohom keep the entire Torah before it was given, including rabbinical laws? The key insight is that mitzvos represent eternal spiritual realities, not just historical commemorations, so Avrohom could access these truths through his genuine search. His entire 172-year journey—even his early idolatry—retroactively became service of God once he reached ultimate truth.
Why does the Gemara say Avrohom knew God from age three while the Rambam says forty, after describing his idolatrous past? The principle that baalei teshuvah transform past sins into merits explains how Avrohom's early struggles became retroactive mitzvos once he used that experience to reach other idol worshippers. Unlike Shem and Ever who lacked such background, Avrohom's difficult past became his greatest qualification for helping others.
Why don't the last eight verses of the Torah require a minyan to read? The shiur develops a fundamental chiddush in the Rambam: Simchas Torah has two distinct takanos of Kriat HaTorah — Zot HaBracha is read from the din of Yom Tov (inyan hayom), while VaYom Moshe is read from the din of Shabbos (siyum haTorah). This explains why a new minyan is required for the last eight verses, and why the Raavad's minhag of having the oleh read (not the baal koreh) signals that the final aliyah is purely Talmud Torah, not shemiat dvar Hashem.
May a man who has already fulfilled his shofar obligation blow shofar for a woman on Rosh Hashanah? The Baal Itur forbids it while Rav Yehuda permits it. The shiur develops that the core dispute is not about violating shvus for another's benefit, but whether a man's blowing creates a "tekiah shel mitzvah" that enables the woman to be yotzei.
When must one interrupt eating or other activities to perform a mitzvah? The Gemara distinguishes between yesh shos (time remains) and ein shos (no time left), and between d'Oraisa and d'Rabbanan obligations. The Rambam's view—that one need not interrupt unless the mitzvah cannot be done later—contrasts sharply with the Rosh and Ran, who hold that mitzvah bo'liyos al tachmitzena requires immediate action even when time remains.
Does answering "amen" add anything when one is already yotzei through shomeia k'oneh? The shiur examines the Rambam's presentation in Hilchos Brachos perek 1, halachos 10-12, questioning why the Rambam states that one who answers amen is "k'mevorach" when earlier he ruled one is yotzei even without answering amen. The shiur explores whether amen provides an additional ma'alah beyond basic yotzei status and analyzes several seemingly contradictory Rambam passages.
