[Avodah] How to light the Menorah

[Michael Poppers]

In Avodah Digest V26#254, RAR asked:
> What does the panel think is preferable:

1. using a candle as the shammas

2. switching to the sefardi minhag of using another candle to light both
the main lights and the shammas <
and, in the subsequent digest, he wrote:
> ...I was not asking
what the strict halacha is. If the Ashkenazi minhag is to use the
shammas to light the menorah then perhaps there is some importance in
sticking with that minhag. <
In older chanukiyos, the shamash was a separate k'li.  To me, trying to
force an oil shammash to light the neiros when it's no longer separate
seems, literally, dachuq.

I (and my kids) use a candle (handed from person to person) to light the
neir(os) and then the shammash.  Their chanukiyos use candles, mine (thanks
to a gift many years ago from my bayis :)) uses oil.  I believe that is
RAR's option#2, but I had no idea that this way of doing things was
"sefardi."  Before I was married, my father a'h' and I used chanukiyos with
candles, and each of us used the shammash candle to light the other
neir(os).  I believe that is akin to RAR's option#1 even though the
shammash is using the same fuel as the neir(os).  I don't believe that
hataras n'darim is required to switch between options :).

Gut Chodesh & Chanukah and a guten Shabbes from
--Michael Poppers via RIM pager
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