By Rabbi Berach Steinfeld
One could ask whether someone who does not own a home and is literally homeless has a chiyuv to light the Menorah. Perhaps the obligation applies only to someone who has a roof over his head.
The Shailos u’Teshuvos Igros Moshe, Yoreh Deah III:14, discusses a person who has no house in which to sleep and spends the night in the street, such as someone stranded while traveling in a desert, with no one at home to light on his behalf. At first glance, this question may hinge on Rashi in Shabbos 23b, who explains that Chazal instituted the bracha of ha’ro’eh for neiros Chanukah in cases where a person is on a boat and cannot light. When he sees candles from afar, he recites the bracha of ha’ro’eh. The Taz (670:3) writes that one recites this bracha only if no one will be lighting that night in his home at all. From the Taz it would seem that someone who is outside and has no home would be exempt from lighting the Menorah.
Reb Elyashiv was asked directly what a person with no home should do regarding Chanukah licht. He answered that such a person has a chiyuv to rent a house in order to be able to light the Menorah.
Reb Chaim Kanievsky explains that Reb Elyashiv’s psak is rooted in the Rambam in Hilchos Brachos (11:2–3). There, the Rambam distinguishes between mitzvos that a person must actively perform, such as tefillin, sukka, and lulav, and mitzvos that apply only under certain circumstances, such as mezuzah and maakeh. If a person never owns a home, he is exempt from those obligations. The Rambam adds that the same distinction applies to mitzvos deRabbanan. Some are an absolute obligation, such as Megillah, lighting Shabbos licht, and Chanukah licht. Others are conditional, such as eiruv and netilas yadayim, where one is obligated only when the situation arises. From this Rambam it emerges that a person is required to arrange a living situation so that he can fulfill the obligation of lighting the Menorah.
On the other hand, Tosfos in Sukka 46a explains why Chazal instituted the bracha of ha’ro’eh specifically for Chanukah. Since the miracle was so beloved, and not everyone has the ability to light because they may not own or rent a home, Chazal provided an alternative through the bracha of ha’ro’eh.
A related question arises regarding someone traveling overnight on a train, where he is paying for his room and board. Can such a place be considered suitable for lighting the Menorah? The Maharshdam (4:146) rules that one would be required to light. He explains that when Rashi states a person does not light on a boat, it is because boats in earlier times lacked a roof and therefore were not considered a bayis. A train, however, would qualify as a bayis despite the fact that it is in motion. The Aruch Hashulchan, Orach Chaim, Hilchos Chanukah 677, writes that if a person will not arrive home until the next morning, he should light on the train if possible.
The Tzitz Eliezer (15:29) disagrees with both the Aruch Hashulchan and the Maharshdam. He maintains that the chiyuv is on the person to light in the place where he eats and sleeps, and that even without a roof overhead he would still be obligated. According to this view, Rashi’s exemption from lighting on a boat applies only where the person has no candles or where lighting is not permitted. The same would apply on a train: if lighting is prohibited due to danger, one would be exempt.
May we all be zocheh to light the candles in the proper place, and may we be zocheh to see the lights of the Menorah of the Bais Hamikdosh.
{Matzav.com}
Israeli police and volunteer search teams launched extensive searches overnight in Bnei Brak after an 11-year-old boy, Yehuda Malka, was reported missing after leaving his home on Monday morning and failing to return.
According to police, Yehuda was last seen after departing his residence on Genechovsky Street in Bnei Brak. Since then, all contact has been lost, prompting growing concern and a large-scale search effort throughout the city.
In an official statement, police appealed to the public for assistance in locating the missing child. Yehuda Malka is described as approximately 1.43 meters tall, with black hair, brown eyes, and a dark complexion. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a gray coat with a black hood and flip-flops.
“Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is requested to contact the Israel Police emergency hotline at 100 immediately,” police said.
{Matzav.com}
Health experts warned that this year’s flu season was shaping up to be especially challenging, driven in part by the spread of a newly dominant strain of influenza.
At the center of growing concern was Influenza A H3N2, known as the subclade K variant, which had been linked to increasing case numbers around the world, including in the United States.
Speaking with Fox News Digital, Dr. Neil Maniar, a professor of public health practice at Northeastern University in Boston, said early data suggested the strain was more dangerous than those seen in recent years. “It’s becoming evident that this is a pretty severe variant of the flu,” he said. “Certainly in other parts of the world where this variant has been prevalent, it’s caused some severe illness, and we’re seeing an aggressive flu season already.”
According to Maniar, subclade K appeared to amplify many of the flu’s classic symptoms, including fever, chills, headaches, exhaustion, coughing, sore throat, and nasal congestion.
He described the situation as a convergence of troubling factors. Lower vaccination rates combined with a virus strain not specifically targeted by this year’s flu shot created what he called a dangerous mix. “The vaccine is very important to get, but because it’s not perfectly aligned with this variant, I think that’s also contributing to some degree to the severity of cases we’re seeing,” Maniar said. “We’re going in [to this flu season] with lower vaccination rates and a variant that in itself seems to be more aggressive.”
Maniar added that public health officials were worried not only about how many people could become ill, but also how sick they might get. “There’s a lot of concern that this could be a particularly difficult flu season, both in terms of the total number of cases [and] the severity of those cases.”
Another complicating factor, he explained, was that the strain differed significantly from prior versions of the virus, leaving communities with less built-up immunity and increasing the likelihood of rapid spread and serious illness.
The risks were especially high for people who had not been vaccinated, Maniar said, noting they faced greater odds of severe symptoms and hospitalization.
Beyond vaccination, he emphasized the importance of basic hygiene, particularly regular and thorough handwashing. While influenza can be transmitted through the air, Maniar noted that other illnesses circulating at the same time, such as norovirus, can linger on surfaces for as long as two weeks.
Seasonal travel and celebrations were also expected to accelerate transmission, with crowded holiday gatherings and packed planes, trains, and buses increasing exposure to sick individuals.
Maniar urged people experiencing symptoms to remain at home to protect others. “Please stay home,” he said — “especially if you think you are in that contagious period of the flu or any of these other illnesses that we’re seeing … whether it’s norovirus or COVID or RSV.” He reinforced the message with a simple directive: “If you’re not feeling well, stay home. That’s a great way to recover faster and to ensure that you’re not going to get others around you sick.”
For anyone uncertain about what illness they might have, Maniar advised seeking medical evaluation and testing, noting that some treatments could lessen the intensity and duration of symptoms if started early.
“It’s important that everyone stays vigilant and tries to take care of themselves and their families,” he said.
{Matzav.com}
