Illustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio

This year, like most years, Parashat Mikeitz falls on Hanukkah.

This raises two important questions:

When we are in a situation where there are two mitzvot to be done, the Talmud (Berakhot 51b) rules that we should generally do the mitzvah that is more frequent first. There is a name for this principle:

tadir ve-she-eino tadir—tadir kodem (frequent and not frequent—the frequent one comes first)

If we were to follow this logic on Hanukkah, then the more frequent mitzvah of Shabbat candles (which is done every week) would come before Hanukkah candles (done only eight nights out of the year).

This is not so simple, though, because we accept Shabbat by lighting Shabbat candles, and then it becomes forbidden to light other flames! For this reason, the rule is (Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayyim 679:1): “On Friday night we light the Hanukkah candles first, and then the Shabbat candles afterward.”

After Maariv in shul, the rule is to light Hanukkah candles before making Havdalah. That way, more people will be present to see the candles, and the community will get to extend Shabbat a little by hearing Havdalah later (even if the one person who lights the Hanukkah candles has to end Shabbat to do so).

For lighting at home, it is a מַחְלוֹקֶת (mahloket, disagreement), and the Mishnah Berurah, which is often the “last word” on these kinds of issues, rules that either order is valid (Orah Hayyim 681:2). The common practice is to make Havdalah first because Havdalah is a biblical mitzvah, and it is done every week of the year (so tadir ve-she-eino tadir—tadir kodem applies).

-------------------

-------------------