The seventh "room" in the palace of daily life.
Friday, the 25th of Kislev, the first day of Chanukah, 5693 (1932).
The customs that the Rebbe cites in this passage originate in things that the Rebbe Rayatz told the Rebbe on Chanukah 5693. The Rebbe recorded them at the time in his diary, and from the diary he copied them here, to the "Hayom Yom." And indeed, the 25th of Kislev, the first day of Chanukah 5693, fell on a Friday.
Lessons: Chumash, Vayeishev, sixth aliyah, with the commentary of Rashi.
Psalms, the first half of chapter 119 — from the first verse "Ashrei" (Happy are they), until "Your commandment is exceedingly broad" at the end of the letter "Lamed."
It is taught, the continuation of chapter one, from "And this is what they said" until "to be haughty, etc."
Let us go through the customs themselves. The Rebbe Rayatz opens and says: "My father, my teacher and Rebbe [Adoni Avi Mori veRabi]" — referring, of course, to the Rebbe Rashab, the father of the Rebbe Rayatz — "would kindle the Chanukah light between Mincha and Maariv". What is the emphasis in the fact that he made a point of kindling specifically between Mincha and Maariv? In the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, siman 672, the laws of Chanukah, it is stated that one does not kindle the Chanukah light before the sun sets, but rather "at the end of its setting"; and the Magen Avraham there emphasizes that this means the emergence of the stars. It follows that according to the simple understanding of the Shulchan Aruch, one should kindle the Chanukah light after the Maariv prayer.
In contrast, there are Rishonim who hold that one does not light the Chanukah candles at the end of sunset but rather at its beginning, and the time of lighting must be before the evening prayer (Maariv). And since there is a dispute in this matter, this is the emphasis here: that the Rebbe Rashab conducted himself in practice in accordance with the opinion of the Rishonim who rule to light before Maariv — not like the plain meaning of the wording in the Shulchan Aruch, but according to the opinion of the other Rishonim, that one should light at the beginning of sunset, before Maariv. And this is the emphasis of "between Mincha and Maariv."
Continuation of the custom: "and he was not particular that it should be from south to north or from east to west" — he was not particular about which direction the menorah should face, whether from south to north or from east to west. What is the emphasis here? In the Shulchan Aruch, siman 671, the Rema writes that in the synagogue the custom is to place the Chanukah menorah on the southern wall, positioned from east to west, so that it should be like it was in the Beis HaMikdash. And the emphasis here is that the Rebbe Rashab, in his home, was not particular about this point, and did not insist that it be from south to north or from east to west.
However, the Rebbe notes on this with a "requires further study": Why, if it is easily possible to do in the home just as in the synagogue, from east to west, did the Rebbe Rashab not take care with this? The Rebbe left it as "requires further study," but in practice he wrote of the Rebbe Rashab's custom, that he would not be particular in the home about how to position it.
The third point: "Haneiros Halalu" — the text recited after lighting the candles — he would say "after lighting all the candles." That is, he would not begin reciting it already during the lighting of the first candle and onward, but only after he had finished lighting all the candles — regardless of which day of Chanukah it was — only then would he begin to say "Haneiros Halalu." So too is the opinion of the Eliyah Rabbah on the Shulchan Aruch, siman 676, and so too it appears is the view of the Alter Rebbe in his Siddur, that one should not interrupt with any speech until one finishes lighting all the candles; therefore, even with this speech of "Haneiros Halalu" he would not interrupt until the completion of the lighting of all the candles.
The following custom: "and he would sit near the candles for half an hour." The matter of sitting for half an hour beside the candles is not written in the Shulchan Aruch; rather, it is a custom of Israel. In the seforim it is written to linger near the candles — not to light and leave immediately, but to light and linger; however, how long to linger is not specified. And the precise point is that the Rebbe Rashab was particular to linger for half an hour beside the candles. In his journal the Rebbe notes that during this half hour he would sometimes sit and study Gemara or write Chassidus — not necessarily sitting and gazing at the candles — but he would linger near the candles for half an hour.
The continuation: "except on the 6th [Friday] the eve of the holy Shabbat." For this very day fell on Friday in [5]693. It should be noted that when the kindling of the Chanukah light fell on Friday, "he would not linger for half an hour," but rather he would kindle the Chanukah lights and immediately — just as one afterward kindles the Shabbat candles — and he would not linger at all beside the menorah. But on all the other days, which fell on weekdays and not on Friday, he would linger for half an hour.
The last passage in the custom: "He was particular [that the candles contain oil] so that the candles would burn for at least fifty minutes" — fifty minutes at the very least. Why was he particular about such a quantity of oil, that there be enough for fifty minutes? Sometimes, when he saw that the candles were about to go out, he would say meanwhile that oil should be added so that they would burn for fifty minutes. And so all the Rebbeim conducted themselves, not only the Rebbe Rashab, from generation to generation.
The Rebbe explains the reason: We mentioned earlier that there are two opinions as to when one should light the Chanukah candles — whether at the beginning of sunset, before the evening prayer, or at the end of sunset, after the evening prayer, that is, after the emergence of the stars. The Rebbe Rashab wished to enhance the mitzvah according to both opinions: although in practice he lit between Mincha and Maariv, nevertheless, according to the second opinion that one lights after the emergence of the stars, and the candles must burn for half an hour, therefore he arranged that they should burn for at least fifty minutes.
The conclusion is the order of kindling. Some have the custom that even on Friday evening they light the Chanukah candle before Mincha, and pray Mincha afterward. Here the Rebbe Rayatz specifies that it is not so: the order on Friday is "Mincha, the Chanukah candle, the Shabbos candle". What is the reason that the Mincha prayer needs to be before the Chanukah candle? The Rebbe brings two reasons.
One reason: this was the order in the Beit HaMikdash. In the Beit HaMikdash they would offer the daily afternoon tamid sacrifice, and afterward they would kindle the menorah of the Mikdash. And since the Mincha prayer corresponds to the afternoon tamid, and the kindling of the Chanukah candles corresponds to the candles of the Mikdash, therefore our order too is first the Mincha prayer and afterward the Chanukah candles.
The second reason, the Rebbe writes, is so that there should not be here two contradictory actions: when we light the Chanukah candle, we are already lighting it for the coming day, whereas the Mincha prayer is the prayer of the day that has passed. And in order that there not be two contradictory things — that with the lighting of the Chanukah candle I am already in the coming day, and only afterward would I pray Mincha of the previous day — it is preferable that the order be first Mincha, with which one concludes the current day, and afterward the Chanukah candle, which is a preparation toward the coming day. Therefore each detail must be specifically in this orderly sequence.