Chanukah 2020 Day #1: Spread the Light

[Music] there is a fascinating debate in the talmud tractate shabbos page 22. amaya larue use a hanukkah candle to ignite other flames of course most of us use a shamish which is an outside candle to ignite the flames but let's say i don't have a shamash can i take a burning hanukkah candle and use it to ignite the other flames two of the greatest talmudic sages of the third century raven shmuel debate the question ralph says you're not allowed to do it shmuel says it's permissible rav explains the logic behind his verdict [Music] if i use a pre-existing hanukkah candle to light other candles part of the oil can spill part of the wax can be lost and i am diminishing the light of the mitzvah hanukkah candle shmuel says it's fine but he does not explain why he disagrees with rav what is even more fascinating is there is a talmudic principle that in most cases of jewish law we follow the position of rav there are three exceptions one of them is chanukah candles jewish law follows the position of shmuel you are permitted to use a hanukkah candle to light other candles i heard a marvelous insight from the late rabbi jonathan sax who just passed away a few weeks ago and he said if you want to understand the debate between robert schmuel look at the jewish world today there are two jews they're both on fire they are both passionate about their faith and deeply committed to their judaism one of them says i cannot go out of my space to ignite other flames that are unlit you know why akush mitzvah that might diminish my own light that may take away from my own spirituality and my own judaism and my own holiness that is one position and rav was a great spiritual giant but shmuel disagreed shmuel says when i take my light to set another jewish soul on fire i don't have less light i have more light from one i create two and from two we create four and eight until we flood the entire world with love and light and hope when we go out and we ignite sparks and we inspire hearts and we motivate souls our light is not diminished we create so much more light in the world when i lift up another soul i too am uplifted in the process so before you go to sleep at night we must ask ourselves this question that i manage to ignite the fire of at least one soul today to love a person is to learn the song that is in their heart and to sing it to them when they have forgotten my prayer and hope is that every single day i can remind at least one soul the song it might have forgotten happy hanukkah [Music] you