Many people today use for the Hanukah candle lighting premade lighting kits, with all the candles already set up with wicks and oil for each night of Hanukah. Others, however, perform the Misva at a higher standard by following the model of the candle lighting in the Bet Ha’mikdash, where the lamps were prepared anew each night. The question arises as to whether for those people it is preferable to place new wicks each night of Hanukah, or to reuse the wicks from the previous night. Should they use fresh wicks for the Misva on each night of Hanukah, or is there a preference to specifically use the same wicks – if possible – every night?
The Ba’al Ha’Tanya (Rabbi Shneuer Zalman of Liadi, Russia, 1745-1813) records the custom not to reuse the previous night’s wicks, and to instead replace the wicks each night, as was done in the Bet Ha’mikdash. Since our Hanukah lights commemorate the lighting of the Menora in the Mikdash, as mentioned earlier, this custom requires changing wicks each night just as the wicks in the Mikdash were changed every day.
The Hatan Sofer (Rabbi Shemuel Ehrenfeld, Hungary, 1835-1883), however, in Siman 68, arrives at the opposite conclusion, claiming that it is preferable to use the previous night’s wicks, based on the Gemara’s discussion in Masechet Shabbat (74) concerning the Shabbat prohibition of Keshira (tying). As all the Shabbat prohibitions are modeled after activities performed in constructing the Mishkan, the Gemara raises the question of when tying was performed during this process. The Gemara at one point suggests that if a thread was torn as the curtains of the Mishkan were being woven, the artisans would tie the two pieces of the thread together so they could continue weaving. But the Gemara immediately rejects this possibility, noting that even in the palace of a human king a torn thread in a curtain would not be tied; it would be discarded and replaced with a new one. Certainly, then, in the Sanctuary of the Almighty, it would be improper to use a torn thread for the curtains. The Gemara therefore proceeds to search for a different purpose for which tying was needed in the Mishkan. In any event, the Hatan Sofer notes a discussion later in the Gemara where this argument is not presented. In addressing the Shabbat prohibition of Keri’a (tearing), the Gemara comments that if a hole was discovered in a curtain in the Mishkan, the tailors would often expand the hole to make it larger so that it would be easier to mend. Curiously, the Hatan Sofer notes, the Gemara does not reject the possibility that a punctured curtain would be mended. Whereas in the earlier discussion the Gemara dismissed out of hand the possibility of tying a torn thread while weaving the curtains, when it came to holes discovered in the curtain, the Gemara accepts the possibility that the holes were stitched, and does not assume that the curtain was discarded.
The reason, the Hatan Sofer explains, is that once an object has been used for a sacred purpose, there is a preference that it be reused, rather than discarded and replaced by a new one. When the curtains of the Mishkan were first being woven, a torn thread would certainly be discarded. But after the curtains were made and were thus invested with Kedusha, they would not be discarded as soon as a hole appeared. If there was a possibility of salvaging the torn curtain, this was preferred over discarding it and preparing a new one.
On this basis, the Hatan Sofer rules that it is preferable to reuse the wicks of the Hanukah candles, rather than place new ones each night. Once a wick has been used for the Misva, we should try, if possible, to continue using it the next nights, as long as it is still viable.
The Hatan Sofer adds that there is a special preference to reusing a Misva article for the same Misva for which it had been used originally. For example, he writes, it was customary to light candles in the synagogue on Yom Kippur, and also on Hoshana Rabba. The Sha’areh Teshuba records a custom to use the same wicks on Hoshana Rabba that were used on Yom Kippur, because Yom Kippur and Hoshana Rabba are similar occasions, insofar as both are days of judgment. This demonstrates the preference to reuse a Misva article for a similar Misva. Therefore, it is preferable to use the same wicks each night of Hanukah, as long as they are still viable for lighting.
The Mishna Berura (674:31) also notes the preference to reuse the previous night’s wicks, but gives an entirely different reason, explaining that used wicks are more easily kindled than fresh wicks.
As for the final Halacha, it would appear that in light of the different opinions that exist, both options are acceptable, and one may either change the wicks each night, in accordance with the Ba’al Ha’Tanya’s ruling, or reuse the previous night’s wicks (assuming they can still be lit), following the view of the Mishna Berura and Hatan Sofer.
