Jewish Holidays

The mitzva to destroy Amalek is primarily incumbent upon the people of Israel as a whole. Indeed, the Sages taught that the people of Israel were commanded to fulfill three mitzvot upon entering Eretz Yisrael

Three mitzvot in the Torah relate to Amalek. The first is a positive commandment to remember what Amalek did to us. . The second is a negative commandment not to forget what Amalek did to us. The third is a positive commandment to eradicate Amalek’s offspring from the world.

The Sages instituted the public reading of four Torah passages (parshiyot) in addition to the weekly Torah portion: Parashat Shekalim, Parashat Zakhor, Parashat Para, and Parashat Ha-ĥodesh.

It is well known that the Jewish months are fixed by the lunar cycle, whereas years follow the solar cycle, because Pesaĥ must always be in the springtime. In order to keep the lunar months in sync with the solar year, leap years, in which an extra month is intercalated, must be declared occasionally.

The Sages said, “When Av arrives we curtail [our] joy, and when Adar arrives we increase [our] joy”. In saying this, the Sages teach us that nothing happens by chance and that every season has its own character and nature.

The poskim disagree about whether the obligation to light Ĥanuka candles is limited to the home. Some argue that the Sages ordained that only one who has a home must light candles. Others maintain that even one who does not have a home must light candles wherever he is.

A patient in a hospital is still obligated to light Ĥanuka candles. However, if he is married, he fulfills his obligation through his spouse’s lighting at home.

People staying in a hotel must light Ĥanuka candles. It is best to light in one’s hotel room. If the hotel management does not permit guests to light candles in their rooms, then since there is no alternative one should light in the dining room.

A yeshiva student who sleeps in his dormitory room and eats in a cafeteria must light in his room. An uncertainty arises regarding Sephardic students.

If an unmarried person has his own home, regardless of whether it is owned or rented, he must light candles there. If he is visiting friends at candle-lighting time but will return home to sleep, he cannot fulfill his obligation at his hosts’ home. Rather, he must return home to light.