24 Dec THE MIXED-UP BRACHA ON CHANUKAH LIGHTS

I. Reasons to
Deviate
Rav Yosef Karo
(16th cen., Israel;
Shulchan Aruch
(Orach Chaim 676:1)
says that the first blessing on Chanukah
lights is: “le-hadlik ner Chanukah, to
kindle Chanukah light.” Many have
noted how puzzling this is because
the Gemara (Shabbos 23a) says that
the blessing is “le-hadlik ner shel
Chanukah, to kindle the light of
Chanukah.” This is similar to the
blessing we recite on Shabbos and Yom
Tov lights, “le-hadlik ner shel…” Why
does the Shulchan Aruch deviate from
the blessing text in the Talmud and most
commentaries? Despite this important
question, this version of the blessing has
lasted and is used by most Sephardim
and many Ashkenazim, including
the Vilna Gaon (18th cen., Lithuania;

Ma’aseh Rav, par. 239) and Aruch Ha-
Shulchan (19th cen., Lithuania; Orach

Chaim 676:1).
Commentaries offer two explanations
for the Shulchan Aruch’s blessing text.
1. Rav Yosef Te’omim (18th cen.,
Germany; Peri Megadim, Mishbetzos
Zahav 676:intro) quotes Rav Yeshayahu
Horowitz (17th cen., Germany; Shelah,
Maseches Tamid) who explains that
Shabbos lights are for personal use
and also for Shabbos, as opposed to
Chanukah lights which we may not use
for our own benefit and are only for
publicizing the Chanukah miracle.
While Rav Horowitz is actually
addressing a slightly different blessing
text, which we will discuss below,
his explanation works well within
the Shulchan Aruch’s text, as well.
With Shabbos, there is a light we are
using for personal benefit. We recite
a blessing on that light and use it also
to honor Shabbos. Therefore, we recite
a blessing on a light that has its own
purpose and we use it for Shabbos. It is

a light, for Shabbos. In
contrast, with Chanukah
there is no light if not for
the holiday. The light
has no independent use.
Therefore, it is not a
light for Chanukah but a
Chanukah light.
2. Rav Chaim Yosef David Azulai
(Chida, 18th cen., Israel), in his
Birkei Yosef (Orach Chaim 677:1),
explains similarly to Rav Horowitz.
In his Machazik Berachah (Orach
Chaim 676:1), Chida offers a different
explanation. He notes that Shabbos
and Yom Tov have many mitzvah
actions — a meal, kiddush, wearing
especially nice clothing, etc. Lights are
only one of many Shabbos mitzvos and
therefore the blessing refers to the lights
of Shabbos, the one of many mitzvos.
In contrast, Chanukah has no mitzvah
action beyond lights. This is the only
mitzvah of the holiday and therefore it
is called Chanukah lights, inherently
identified with the holiday.
To put it differently, according to
the first explanation, there is no light
without Chanukah. According to
the second explanation, there is no
Chanukah without light.
II. The Lost Bracha
However, the prevalent Ashkenazic
practice is to recite the blessing
“le-hadlik ner shel Chanukah, to
kindle the light of Chanukah.” As
Rav Te’omim says (ibid.), this is
what people customarily say. And
with good reason. Rav Avraham
Bing (19th cen., Germany; Zichron
Avraham 676) argues strongly in favor
of this text. The Gemara (Shabbos
23a) clearly states that this is the text
of the blessing. Who are we to deviate
from that? The Shulchan Aruch must
have been imprecise because we have
on the highest authority, the Talmud,
that the blessing is “le-hadlik ner
shel Chanukah, to kindle the light
of Chanukah.” All the explanations

and speculations in the world can’t push
away that fact.
There is another version of the blessing,
“le-hadlik ner she-la-Chanukah.” The
words “shel” and “Chanukah” are
merged into one. This is how the Rambam
(Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Chanukah 3:4)
has it (in the Frankel edition) and how
Rav Shlomo Luria (Maharshal, 16th
cen., Poland; Responsa, no. 85) says to
recite the blessing. It is in explanation of
this text that Rav Yeshayahu Horowitz
(Shelah, quoted above) says that this
refers to the sole purpose of the Chanukah
light to publicize the miracle. This seems
to be the old Ashkenazic version of the
blessing. Dr. Seligmann Baer (19th
cen., Germany; Siddur Avodas Yisrael)

has it this way, vocalized as “she-la-
Chanukah,” which he explains means

“asher le-Chanukah, that is (solely) for
Chanukah.”
Similarly, Mishnah Berurah (676:1)
quotes Maharshal who says to
pronounce it as one word but then
Mishnah Berurah adds that people are
not careful about this. In other words,
really we should pronounce it that way
but for one reason or another, that isn’t
the custom. Both Ashkenazim and
Sephardim say the blessing in a way
that singles out Chanukah light as being
dedicated solely for Chanukah.
As Mishnah Berurah says, many
Ashkenazim aren’t careful about the
pronunciation and it does not really
matter. Similarly, Aruch Ha-Shulchan
(676:1) says that it doesn’t really matter
how you say it (although he personally
says “ner Chanukah”). Either “le-hadlik

ner Chanukah,” “le-hadlik ner she-
la-Chanukah” or “le-hadlik ner shel

Chanukah.” Any of these three are valid.