"Mehadrin min Hamehadrin: Pursuing and Beautifying our Mitzvot" This shiur is dedicated in commemoration of the first yahrzeit of my beloved grandmother, Nanette Lehman z”l

...For it was taught: This is my God, and I will adorn him: [i.e.,]adorn thyself before Him in [the fulfilment of] precepts. [Thus:] make a beautiful sukkah in His honour, a beautiful lulab, a beautiful shofar, beautiful fringes, and a beautiful Scroll of the Law, and write it with fine ink, a fine reed [-pen], and a skilled penman, and wrap it about with beautiful silks.

R. Zera said on behalf of R. Huna: For [the performance of] a commandment one should go up to a third. A third of what?You could hardly suggest ‘a third of one's possessions,’ for if so when one chanced to have three commandments [to perform at one and the same time] would one have to give up the whole of one's possessions? — R. Zera therefore said: For [performing a commandment in] an exemplary manner one should go up to a third of [the ordinary expense involved in] the observance thereof.

Our Sages taught: The mitzvah of Chanukkah is a [single] candle for [each] man and his household, and those who are scrupulous: A candle for each and every one, and the scrupulous among and the scrupulous among the scrupulous: Beit Shammai say: The first day he lights eight, from here going [forward], he goes on reducing, and Beit Hillel says: The first day he lights one, from here going [forward], he goes on adding. Ulla said: ... They argued about it - two Amoraim from the West [i.e., Eretz Yisrael]: Rabbi Yosi ben Avin and Rabbi Yosi ben Zevida. One said: the reasoning of Beit Shammai is: to correspond to the days which are entering,and the reasoning of Beit Hillel is: to correspond to the days which are going out; [the other] one said: the reasoning of Beit Shammai is: to correspond to the bulls [offered on Sukkot] and the reasoning of Beit Hillel is that [we] raise up in holiness and [we] do not lower.

One light for each night, it is sufficient for a man and his household to have one light...

Those that chase after mitzvot hace one light each night for each member of the household...

It appears to Rabeinu Yitzchak that both he schools of Shammai and Hillel are only referring to to the one light per household approach(as opposed to a light for each member of the household opinion). In this case there is greater Hiddur when it is recognizable when one increases or decreases based on the number of days that are coming or going. However if one lights according to the a light for each member approach, even if one adds lights each night, it is unrecognizable, for the onlooker will think that it just corresponds to the number of people in the house.

Halacha 1

How many candles should one light on Chanukah? The mitzvah is that a single candle should be lit in each and everyhouse, regardless of whether there are many members of the household, or merely one person [lives] there.

A person who performs the mitzvah in a beautiful and conscientious manner should light candles for every member of the household, whether male or female.

A person who is even more conscientious in his performance of the mitzvah than this and observes the mitzvah in the most desirable manner should light candles for every member of his household, a candle for each individual, whether male or female, on the first night. On each subsequent night, he should add a candle [for each of the members of the household].

Halacha 2

What does the above imply? When there are ten members of a household, on the first night one lights ten candles, on the second night - twenty, on the third night - thirty, until on the eighth night, one lights eighty candles.

Halacha 3

It is common custom in all of our cities in Spain that a single candle is lit for all the members of the household on the first night. We proceed to add a new candle on each and every night, until on the eighth night eight candles are lit. [This practice is followed] regardless of whether there are many members of the household or only one man [is lighting candles].

(2) How many lights should one kindle? On the first night, he kindles one [light]. From then on he continues to add one each night, until on the last night they are eight. And even if the household members are many, they should not kindle more. Rem"a: And some say that every one of the household members kindles (Maimonides) and such is the widespread custom. And they should take care to each place their lights in a unique place, so that it will be apparent how many lights they are kindling. (Abraham Kara of Prague)