Beyond Presents: Making Hanukkah Meaningful for Your Child and Yourself

The Gemara asks: What is Hanukkah, and why are lights kindled on Hanukkah? The Gemara answers: The Sages taught: On the twenty-fifth of Kislev, the days of Hanukkah are eight. One may not eulogize on them and one may not fast on them.

What is the reason? When the Greeks entered the Sanctuary they defiled all the oils that were in the Sanctuary by touching them. And when the Macabees overcame them and emerged victorious over them, they searched and found only one cruse of oil that was placed with the seal of the High Priest, undisturbed by the Greeks. And there was sufficient oil there to light the menorah for only one day. A miracle occurred and they lit the menorah from it eight days. The next year the Sages instituted those days and made them holidays with recitation of hallel and special thanksgiving in prayer and blessings.

The Sages taught in a baraita: The basic mitzva of Hanukkah is each day to have a light kindled by a person, the head of the household, for himself and his household. And the mehadrin, i.e., those who are meticulous in the performance of mitzvot, kindle a light for each and every one in the household. And the mehadrin min hamehadrin, who are even more meticulous, adjust the number of lights daily.

Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disagree as to the nature of that adjustment. Beit Shammai say: On the first day one kindles eight lights and, from there on, gradually decreases the number of lights until, on the last day of Hanukkah, he kindles one light.

And Beit Hillel say: On the first day one kindles one light, and from there on, gradually increases the number of lights until, on the last day, he kindles eight lights.

Ulla said: There were two rabbis in the West who disagreed about the reason for Hillel and Shammai's opinions, Rabbi Yosei bar Avin and Rabbi Yosei bar Zevida. One said that the reason for Beit Shammai’s opinion is that the number of lights corresponds to the incoming days, i.e., the future. The reason for Beit Hillel’s opinion is that the number of lights corresponds to the outgoing days.

And one said that the reason for Beit Shammai’s opinion is that the number of lights corresponds to the bulls sacrifced (which decreased over time) and the reason for Beit Hillel’s opinion is that the number of lights is based on the principle: One increases the holy, one does not decrease it.

(5) One may not light Chanukah candles before the sun sets, but rather [light] with its setting - not after, and not before. [If] he forgot or intentionally did not light with the setting of the sun, he can light until pedestrians leave the marketplace. And how long is this time? Like a half hour or more. If this time passes, he [may] not light. And he needs to put enough oil in the candle so that it will continue to be lit until the pedestrians leave the marketplace. If he lit it and it became extinguished it, he is not required to light it another time. If it stayed lit after the pedestrians leave the marketplace, he can extinguish it or take it away, if he wants.