24 Dec HANUKAH – STRIVING FOR MORE

The Misva of lighting
the Hanukah candles
features an unusual
component, one
which is unique to
this specific Misva.
Namely, the Rabbis instituted three different
standards of observing the Misva. The Gemara
in Masechet Shabbat (21b) teaches that the
basic, minimum obligation of Chanukah
candles requires lighting just a single candle
in each home on each of the eight nights of
Chanukah. The higher level of observance
– “Mehadrin” – is lighting a candle for each
member of the household. The third and
highest level – “Mehadrin Min Ha’mehadrin”
– is lighting an additional candle each night,
until we light eight candles on the eighth
night.
Of course, as everybody knows, the universally
accepted practice is to adhere to the standard
of “Mehadrin Min Ha’mehadrin,” and light an
additional candle on each night of Chanukah.
What might the reason for this unique feature
of the Chanukah candle lighting? And what
does this teach us about the celebration of this
holiday?
The answer might stem from a different
question which many commentators raised,
concerning the miracle of the pure flask of oil.
As the Gemara relates, after the Hashmonaim

drove the Greeks from Jerusalem, they set
out to cleanse the Bet Ha’mikdash, which the
Greeks had defiled, and consecrate it anew.
When they sought to kindle the Menorah,
they found only one flask of pure oil, and
it miraculously burned for eight nights,
until fresh, pure oil could be produced and
delivered. The commentators noted the
exceptional Halacha known as “Tum’a Hutra
Be’sibur,” which allows Halachic impurity in
the service of the Bet Ha’mikdash when the
majority of the nation is Tameh (impure).
Although generally Tum’a (impurity) is
not permitted in the Bet Ha’mikdash, this
restriction is suspended in a situation of
widespread Tum’a. Seemingly, then, it was
permissible for the Hashmonaim to kindle
the Menorah with impure oil under the
extenuating circumstances, as the Greeks had
defiled all the oil.
One answer given to this question is that
the Hashmonaim, as they set out to renew
religious life in Eretz Yisrael following their
victory over the Greeks, did not want to rely
on any leniencies or shortcuts. They wanted to
adhere to the highest standards, to perform the
Misvot in the most complete way, rather than
just satisfy the minimum requirement.
This might be why, when the Sages later
enacted the Misva of candle lighting to
commemorate this miracle, they established

different gradations. Their intention was for
us to extend beyond the minimum obligation,
and reach for the level of “Mehadrin Min
Ha’mehadrin,” the highest standards of Misva
observance. This is one of the important
lessons of the Chanukah story – not to be
content with fulfilling our basic obligations,
and to instead extend ourselves, to reach for
the stars, to achieve all that we’re capable of
achieving. Just as the Hashmonaim were not
content with the minimum standard, and went
the extra mile to perform the Misva in the
best way possible, so must we strive to serve
Hashem to the best of our ability.
I recall the time when a fellow who built a
new home in Deal invited me to help with the
mezuzot. We approached the front door, and
when I placed my hand on the doorknob, I felt
that it was special. I asked the man about it.
“Yeah, it cost me $400. And I have a few
dozen of them in the house – 400 bucks each!”
I later told him that I know where he could
purchase beautiful, high-quality mezuzot for
around $100 apiece. He looked at me and said
that he thought this sounded very expensive.
“Aren’t their simpler ones for $25?” he asked.
For the doorknobs – doorknobs!! – he settled
on nothing but the very best, at $400 per knob.
But when it came to the mezuzot, he asked for
the cheapest ones he could find…

Chanukah teaches us to take the precise
opposite approach – to make Misvot our
highest priority, to strive for the best in our
performance of Misvot, to be willing to
compromise our standards in other areas of
life, but never in the area of the service of
Hashem.
When we pray to Hashem for the things we
need and want, we tend to ask for only the best.
When we pray for a livelihood, we pray for
more than the ability to pay our electric bill;
we pray for a comfortable income. When we
pray for Shidduchim for our children, we pray
that they find outstanding people to marry. We
ask for the best. We become worthy of having
these prayers answered when we do the same
for Hashem – giving him the very best of what
we have to offer. If we constantly strive for the
level of “Mehadrin Min Ha’mehadrin,” for the
highest standards of Misva observance, then
we are deserving of the highest “standards” of
Hashem’s blessings, of receiving all that we
wish for.