12 Dec CHANUKAH AND DAVENING FOR IDF SOLDIERS
How does a soldier
light Chanukah candles?
There is an important
rabbinic commandment
to light Chanukah
candles (really, flames)
for all eight nights of
Chanukah. Normally, we
light in our homes, either in the window or
right outside the door. When a soldier is at an
army base, he can light there without worry.
But what does a soldier do when he is out in
the field, whether on an extended exercise or
on the battlefield? At the time of this writing,
there are thousands of IDF soldiers encamped
on the Gaza border while hundreds are
inside Gaza engaged in battle. How do those
living in tents fulfill the mitzvah of lighting
Chanukah candles and how do those inside
Gaza fulfill the mitzvah?
The primary mitzvah of Chanukah is to
light one candle for each home (Shabbos
21b). Those who want to do extra (mehadrin)
have each member of the household light
a candle and those who want to do even
extra (mehadrin min ha-mehadrin) light
an additional candle each night. Rambam
(Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Chanukah 4:1)
explains that the highest way is that each
member of the household lights an additional
number of candles each night. In contrast,
Tosafos (Shabbos 21b s.v. ve-ha-mehadrin)
believe that the highest way is for one person
in each home to light an increasing number
of candles each night. In one of the ironies
of halachic history, most Ashkenazim follow
Rambam and therefore, in their homes,
everyone lights a menorah with an additional
candle each night. While most Sephardim
follow Tosafos and, in their homes, only the
head of the household lights a menorah with
an additional candle each night.
Is a Home Necessary?
If the mitzvah revolves around the home,
does this mean that someone without a home is
exempt? Rav Shalom Mordechai Schwadron
(Responsa Maharsham 4:146) discusses
whether someone traveling overnight on a
train should light Chanukah candles. He rules
that since the passenger rented the space on
the train, it is considered his home and he
should light candles there. Based on this,
Rav Eliezer Yehudah Waldenberg (Tzitz
Eliezer 15:29) concludes that someone who
is hiking overnight can also light Chanukah
candles. Since you do not need a fixed home
for the mitzvah, even if you sleep in a tent
on a hiking trail you also light Chanukah
candles there. Rav Waldenberg goes further
and argues that even if you sleep in a field
under the sky, without any house or tent, you
also light Chanukah candles there.
However, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv
(Ashrei Ha-Ish, vol. 3, p. 262) understands
Rav Schwadron’s ruling differently. Rav
Schwadron was discussing someone who
takes a multi-day train ride, as was common
in those days. The passenger pays for a bed
in a specific room in an overnight car for
an extended period of time. Such a room
has more permanence, allowing a person to
establish residence there. This is different
from someone riding the train for a few
hours at night. Rav Elyashiv would not allow
someone hiking to light Chanukah candles.
Rav Yitzchak Yosef (Yalkut Yosef, Chanukah,
671:28n, pp. 200, 653) quotes these two
opinions and follows the former view, based
on the conclusion of his illustrious father,
Rav Ovadiah Yosef, that this is the majority
opinion. Therefore, Rav Yitzchak Yosef
permits soldiers who are at their guard posts
to light Chanukah candles. In contrast, Rav
Yosef Zvi Rimon (Halachah Mi-Mkorah,
Zemanim, p. 347) says that most authorities
follow Rav Elyashiv and do not allow people
to light Chanukah candles without a home.
What is a Home?
Rav Elyashiv (ibid., p. 267) rules that a
tent constitutes a home if the tent is four
square amos long and wide, and its walls
do not collapse under a normal wind. If
a soldier will sleep at night in the tent
then he can light Chanukah candles there.
Rav Rimon (ibid., p. 348) says that most
soldier’s individual tents are smaller than
this. However, the larger military tents
qualify as a home. A soldier can light at
a larger tent with a blessing. If there is no
other place to light, Rav Rimon allows one
person to light outdoors with a blessing,
following the minority (e.g. Chabad) view
that public menorah lightings can be done
with a blessing.
Rav Zechariah Ben Shlomo (Hilchos
Tzava 75:24) rules that fully enclosed
military vehicles (with a roof) constitute
a home if a soldier sleeps in it. Therefore,
if a soldier is going to sleep in a tank or
an armored personnel carrier, he may
light Chanukah candles with a blessing.
However, Rav Ben Shlomo adds that
regarding such vehicles, you have to be
very careful from a safety perspective
about where you light. You do not want to
set military equipment on fire.
Candle Lighting Alternatives
This discussion assumes that the soldier
does not have people back at home
lighting Chanukah candles. If he does, he can
fulfill the mitzvah through them because the
primary mitzvah is to light one candle per
home. If his parents or wife lights Chanukah
candles, the soldier fulfills his obligation in
that way. If a Sephardic soldier wants to light
his own Chanukah candles, he is not even
allowed to recite the blessing. An Ashkenazic
soldier only lights if he wants to fulfill the
mitzvah mehadrin min ha-mehadrin. It might
be nice to light Chanukah candles for morale,
but it is not halachically required.
Of course, if lighting Chanukah candles
interferes with the life-saving work of a
soldier, Chanukah must be set aside. If the
candles cannot be seen outdoors because that
will alert the enemy of the soldiers’ location,
he may only light inside at a safe place in a
completely enclosed location. If that is not
possible, a soldier should not light at all rather
than risk any additional danger (Hilchos
Tzava 75:16). If safety considerations do not
allow lighting fires, the last resort is to use a
flashlight with an incandescent lightbulb as a
Chanukah candle. Both Rav Shlomo Zalman
Auerbach (Halichos Shlomo, Mo’adim 15:3)
and Rav Elyashiv (ibid., p. 264) allow it with
a blessing if there is no other option. Rav
Yitzchak Yosef (ibid., 671:30n) objects that
even an Ashkenazi can only use a flashlight
for Chanukah candles without a blessing.