[Avodah] chanukah candles and women

[Moshe Feldman]

R. Eli Turkel wrote:

<<
3. According to Rambam that mehadrin min hamehadrin means the
husband/father lights for each member of the family (not like the Ramah that
each lights for themselves) does the husband add candles for the wife?
>>

The Rambam 4:1 writes explicitly "bein anashim bein nashim."

<<I understand that by RYBS the women in the house did light >>

RHS in Nefesh HaRav p. 266 says that RYBS believed that women should light,
and that the contrary view is difficult to understand.

It's been 20 years since I was in RHS' shiur, but IIRC he did encourage
women to light with a bracha.  This is also solves the common problem--if
the husband is coming home late from work, the woman can light at the proper
time, and when the husband comes home, he lights too.

IIRC RHS said (but I may have heard this elsewhere) that the basis for the
MB's view of ishto kegufo for Chanuka is the gemara Shabbos 23a which says
that R. Zeira when he was single and was away from home, used to be pay the
baal ha'bayit to have a share in his candles (mishtatef b'pritei).  Once he
got married, he no longer did that because he said, "my wife now lights for
me at home."

However, IIRC RYBS disagreed with this reasoning: Rav Zeira was not
fulfilling mehadrin min hamehadrin when he was paying to get a share of the
candles (there aren't more candles lit), and was just doing the basic
mitzvah level.  Therefore once he married, by his wife lighting at home, he
too was just fulfilling the basic mitzvah level.

Chanukah sameach,
Moshe
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