Hanukkah and Tzedakah

מִנְהָג פָּשׁוּט בִּמְדִינָתֵנוּ כִּמְהַדְּרִין מִן הַמְהַדְּרִין, שֶׁמַּדְלִיקִין כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִבְּנֵי הַבַּיִת בַּלַּיְלָה הָרִאשׁוֹן נֵר אֶחָד, וּבַשֵּׁנִי, שְׁנֵי נֵרוֹת, וְכֵן מוֹסִיפִין, עַד שֶׁבְּלֵיל שְׁמִינִי מַדְלִיק שְׁמוֹנָה. וּצְרִיכִין לִזָּהֵר, שֶיִתֵּן כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד נֵרוֹתָיו בְּמָקוֹם מְיֻחָד, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִהְיֶה הֶכֵּר כַּמָּה נֵרוֹת מַדְלִיקִין. וְלֹא יַדְלִיקוּ בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁמַּדְלִיקִין נֵרוֹת כָּל הַשָּׁנָה, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הֶכֵּר שֶׁהֵם נֵרוֹת חֲנֻכָּה.

Kitzur Shulchan Arukh 139:6

It is the widespread custom in our regions [to follow the practice] of the most scrupulously observant, whereby each member of the family kindles one light on the first night, two lights on the second, and keeps adding until on the eighth night, he kindles eight lights. You should be careful that each person places his menorah in a separate place, so that one can easily tell how many lights are lit [that night]. The menorah should not be lit in a place where candles are lit all year, in order to make it manifestly clear that these are Chanukah lights.

משנה תורה, הלכות מגילה וחנוכה ד׳:ז׳

(ז) נֵר חֲנֻכָּה מִצְוָה לְהַנִּיחוֹ עַל פֶּתַח בֵּיתוֹ מִבַּחוּץ בַּטֶּפַח הַסָּמוּךְ לַפֶּתַח עַל שְׂמֹאל הַנִּכְנָס לַבַּיִת כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּהְיֶה מְזוּזָה מִיָּמִין וְנֵר חֲנֻכָּה מִשְּׂמֹאל. וְאִם הָיָה דָּר בַּעֲלִיָּה מַנִּיחוֹ בַּחַלּוֹן הַסְּמוּכָה לִרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים. וְנֵר חֲנֻכָּה שֶׁהִנִּיחוֹ לְמַעְלָה מֵעֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה לֹא עָשָׂה כְּלוּם לְפִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ נִכָּר:

Mishneh Torah, Scroll of Esther and Hanukkah 4:7

It is a mitzvah to place the Chanukah lamp at the outside of one's house within the handbreadth closest to [the edge of] the entrance, so that the mezuzah will be to the right and the Chanukah lamp to the left. And if he was living in an attic [or second story apartment], he should place it in the window that is closest to the public domain. One who has placed the Chanukah lamp above twenty ells [cubits] has not done anything, because it is not recognizable [too high up].

Questions:

Why is it important that the menorah be displayed in a visible place?

How does this connect to the story of Hanukkah?

משנה תורה, הלכות מתנות עניים י׳:ח׳

פָּחוֹת מִזֶּה הַנּוֹתֵן צְדָקָה לָעֲנִיִּים וְלֹא יָדַע לְמִי נָתַן וְלֹא יָדַע הֶעָנִי מִמִּי לָקַח. שֶׁהֲרֵי זוֹ מִצְוָה לִשְׁמָהּ. כְּגוֹן לִשְׁכַּת חֲשָׁאִים שֶׁהָיְתָה בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ. שֶׁהָיוּ הַצַּדִּיקִים נוֹתְנִין בָּהּ בַּחֲשַׁאי וְהָעֲנִיִּים בְּנֵי טוֹבִים מִתְפַּרְנְסִין מִמֶּנָּה בַּחֲשַׁאי. וְקָרוֹב לָזֶה הַנּוֹתֵן לְתוֹךְ קֻפָּה שֶׁל צְדָקָה. וְלֹא יִתֵּן אָדָם לְתוֹךְ קֻפָּה שֶׁל צְדָקָה אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁהַמְמֻנֶּה נֶאֱמָן וְחָכָם וְיוֹדֵעַ לְהַנְהִיג כַּשּׁוּרָה כְּרַבִּי חֲנַנְיָה בֶּן תְּרַדְיוֹן:

Mishneh Torah, Gifts to the Poor 10:8

One level lower than this is one who gives tzedakah to the poor and does not know to whom he gives, and the poor person does not know from whom he receives. This is purely a mitzvah for its own sake, such as the Chamber of Secrets in the Holy Temple, for there the righteous would give in secret [and leave], and the poor, of good background, would sustain themselves from it in secret.

Question:

What is the importance of anonymity when giving charity?

Just as Jews in the time of the Maccabees wrestled with the extent to which they should allow Greek culture to influence their lives, so, too, do North American Jews wrestle with the extent to which we should allow secular culture to influence our lives. This culture of commercialism undermines the true meaning of our celebration. Even many Christian leaders bemoan the loss of a meaningful Christmas that gets overshadowed by an emphasis on gifts. Hanukkah can be a time to reexamine what we consider gifts to be and how we go about giving and receiving gifts.
Ner Shel Tzedakah ("Candle of Righteousness") is a project in which families and individuals devote the sixth night of Hanukkah to learning about the problem of poverty. They donate the value of the gifts (or the gifts themselves) that otherwise would be exchanged on that night to organizations that assist the poor, locally or globally. By making donations on the sixth night of Hanukkah, families help the Jewish candle of righteousness glow brightly for those in need. Don’t let the light go out!
(From ReformJudaism.org)

Discussion questions:

To what extent to do agree that commercialism undermines the holiday?

Does this make you reevaluate your own traditions?

Do you plan to incorporate tzedakah (charity) into your Hanukkah traditions going forward?