Excerpted from The Light That Unites: A Chanukah Companion – Blessings, Teachings, and Tales by Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider
The Teaching of A Single Candle
If a person finds himself with only one candle on Friday afternoon during Chanukah, should he light it as a Shabbat candle or a Chanukah candle?
It can’t be both. One might suggest that he should light it as a Chanukah candle. After all, this light signifies the great miracle and spreads its light to tell of the great event in our history.
Yet Jewish law holds that, faced with such a choice, he should light it as a Shabbat candle.
Why?
The Rambam beautifully explains: “The Shabbat light takes priority because it symbolizes shalom bayit, ‘domestic peace.’ …And great is peace, because the entire Torah was given in order to make peace in the world” (Laws of Chanukah 4:14).
Halachah, Jewish law, rules that if a person can light only one candle, the Shabbat light takes precedence. Peace in the home matters more than the great Maccabean military victory and even more than the miracle of the oil.
This teaching is beautifully exemplified by a wonderful story about one of the most beloved sages, the Chafetz Chaim (1839–1933). The world-renowned Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan had a rebbe, a mentor, who was not as well known as he was. His rebbe was a saintly man from the town of Horodna, Lithuania, named Rabbi Nachum Kaplan (1812–1879), known lovingly as Reb Nachum’ke.
The Chafetz Chaim made a point to observe carefully Reb Nachum’ke’s every action and deed, for he knew that anything that Reb Nachum’ke ever did was done with forethought and good intent.
It happened one night during Chanukah that the Chafetz Chaim came to visit his rebbe.
The time for lighting Chanukah candles came, and the Chafetz Chaim waited for his rebbe to recite the blessings and to light the candles. Surprisingly though, Reb Nachum’ke let the time pass and made no move to light the menorah. The Chafetz Chaim was a bit baffled that his rebbe would let the time slip by and not light on time, but he didn’t dare say anything.
More time elapsed, and still Reb Nachum’ke went about his regular routine without saying anything about the lighting of the Chanukah candles. An hour went by and then another hour; still the menorah was not lit. The Chafetz Chaim simply could not understand his rebbe’s inaction and apparent inattentiveness to this mitzvah.
Finally deep into the night, there was a knock on the door. The rebbe opened the door. It was his wife. Almost immediately after she came in, Reb Nachum’ke began his introductory prayers, recited the appropriate blessings, and then lit the Chanukah menorah. The Chafetz Chaim realized that there had to be a lesson here, so once the flames were flickering, he respectfully asked his rebbe to explain to him why he had let so much time elapse before finally lighting his menorah. Reb Nachum’ke explained patiently to his beloved student.
The Talmud (Shabbat 23b) poses a question: What is the law if a person has money to use for only one candle on the Friday night of Chanukah? Should he spend it on a Shabbos candle and fulfill the mitzvah of lighting Shabbos candles, or rather spend the money on a candle for his Chanukah menorah, and thereby fulfill the mitzvah of Chanukah candle lighting?
Reb Nachum’ke answered, “The Talmud states unequivocally that one is obligated to spend the money for a Shabbos candle, the reason being that the Shabbos candle, aside from the mitzvah involved, adds to shalom bayit, peace and tranquility of the home. Thus, a candle that fosters shalom bayit takes precedence even over the mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles.
“I have no doubt,” continued Reb Nachum’ke, “that had my wife come home and realized that I did not wait for her with the Chanukah candles, she would unquestionably have been distraught. There would have been tension, and perhaps even anger on her part that I didn’t show her the courtesy of waiting until she returned. Thus, I delayed until she came home.
“You see,” added Reb Nachum’ke, “the Talmud itself used Chanukah candles as a focal point to emphasize the importance of marital harmony. Should I have taken these same Chanukah candles and through them diminished shalom bayit? Better to let the ideal time to light pass by and to fulfill the mitzvah of generating love and harmony in the home.”
