[Avodah] How to light the Menorah

[Alan Rubin]

Micha Berger wrote

> This is how I understood the original question...

> You pragmatically need something to light the menoros.
> There is a din "ein lanu reshus lehishtameish bahem", and
> therefore we need another light in the room in order to avoid
> doing something solely by their light.

>Historically, those were the same neir.

>Now, here's the question AIUI, and if I'm wrong, I'm asking it now:
>Is that use of a single neir for both a minhag? IOW, there may be
>no obligation mei'iqar hadin one way or the other, but does one
> miss out on a minhag by using an oil or the room's electric
> fixture for the extralight rather than the flame one used for >lighting?

I think Micha is the only respondee who has got the point of my
original question. I see people on this email list and others like it
fretting about all sorts of minhagim which are surely not me'qar
hadin.. the order in which they say particular prayers, the nigun,
standing up, sitting down, standing on one's head.

As far as I am aware the great majority (of ashkenazim at least) have
a shamash which they use to light the menorah. Google channukah and
you will often find this described as the way to light a menorah. Why
is this any less of a minhag than which nigun you use for the kaddish
for shabbos musaf?

Alan Rubin