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Havdalah Before the Lights: Seeing Through Da'as

Name a tzaddik: tap for who he wasTitle a sefer

Vayikra 11:47
לְהַבְדִּיל בֵּין הַטָּמֵא וּבֵין הַטָּהֹר וּבֵין הַחַיָּה הַנֶּאֱכֶלֶת וּבֵין הַחַיָּה אֲשֶׁר לֹא תֵאָכֵל
To distinguish between the impure and the pure, and between the creature that may be eaten and the creature that may not be eaten.
110aThe sefer Toras Nosson explains at length that all the seeing of the eyes comes through da'as, the mind's power of knowing.1 It seems to follow that [on Motzaei Shabbos] one should make havdalah first and only then light the Chanukah lights, as of Prague did and as the Taz rules.2 For the mitzvah of the Chanukah lights is specifically to see them. That is why one who is not in a place where Jews live must light for himself, even though his household lights for him at home: he is obliged to see the lights with his own eyes.3 Havdalah clarifies and repairs the da'as within Israel. As the Yerushalmi says, “If there is no understanding, from where is havdalah?”4 For distinguishing calls for a fine and deep mind, as the Toras Kohanim, the early Midrash on Vayikra, explains, cited by at the end of Parshas Shemini.5
[לו] עַיֵּין בַּס' תּוֹרַת נָתָן (דף י"ז ע"ב) כִּי כָּל רְאִיּוֹת הָעֵינַיִם הִיא ע"י הַדַּעַת עיי"ש בַּאֲרִיכוּת. ועפי"ז נִרְאֶה שֶׁיֵּשׁ לְהַבְדִּיל תְּחִלָּה ואח"כ לְהַדְלִיק נ"ח כמהר"ל מפראג וכהט"ז (או"ח ס' תרפ"א), כִּי מִצְוַת נ"ח הוּא לִרְאוֹת הַנֵּרוֹת דַּוְוקָא וּלְפִיכָךְ מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ בִּמְקוֹם יִשְׂרָאֵל אַךְ שֶׁמַּדְלִיקִין עָלָיו בְּבֵיתוֹ מְחוּיָּב לְהַדְלִיק כִּי מְחוּיָּב לִרְאוֹת הַנֵּרוֹת בְּעֵינָיו דַּוְקָא (ש"ע תרע"ז). וע"י הַבְדָּלָה נִתְבָּרֵר וְנִתְקַן הַדַּעַת שֶׁבְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. וּכְהַיְּרוּשַׁלְמִי (פ"ה דברכות ה"ב) אִם אֵין דֵּיעָה הַבְדָּלָה מִנַּיִן. שֶׁהַבְדָּלָה הוּא שֵׂכֶל דַּק וְעָמוֹק. וְכַמְּבוֹאָר בתו"כ מוּבָא ברש"י (סוף ס' שמיני).
  1. The sefer's heading: Motzaei Shabbos. Toras Nosson, 17b. ↩
  2. Taz on Orach Chaim 681:1, who writes that he heard the Maharal of Prague did so in practice. The Shulchan Aruch there (681:2) has the lights lit in the shul before havdalah. ↩
  3. Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 677:3, with the Rema there. ↩
  4. Yerushalmi Berachos 5:2, explaining why havdalah is said in the blessing for understanding, Chonen HaDa'as. ↩
  5. Rashi on Vayikra 11:47, from the Sifra: “‘To distinguish’: not only to learn it, but to know, recognize and be expert in them.” ↩
In shortSight depends on da'as and havdalah refines da'as, so one should make havdalah before lighting the Chanukah lights, whose mitzvah is to see them.
110bSo once the da'as has been repaired, when our minds grasp the advantage of light over darkness, of Israel over the nations, of the holy over the ordinary, and of the holiness of Shabbos over the weekdays,6 the light of a person's eyes is repaired by it. Then he recognizes the extra light he received at Kiddush, the light of the eyes that, as the Gemara says, is restored to a person at the Friday-night Kiddush.7 This is “Remember it at its entry and at its departure”:8 at its departure, what was received through the remembrance at its entry becomes recognizable. And once his sense of sight has been repaired at its source, which is da'as, he can light the Chanukah lights and see them with open eyes. Perhaps I have erred; may Hashem forgive, and may He enlighten my eyes in the holy Torah in truth.9
וְלָכֵן לְאַחַר שֶׁמְּתַקְּנִים הַדַּעַת כִּי מַשִּׂיגִים אֲנַחְנוּ בְּדַעְתֵּינוּ יִתְרוֹן הָאוֹר מִן הַחוֹשֶׁךְ. וְיִתְרוֹן יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵהָעַמִּים. וְיִתְרוֹן הַקּוֹדֶשׁ מֵהַחוֹל. וְיִתְרוֹן קְדוּשַּׁת הש"ק מִימֵי הַמַּעֲשֶׂה. וְזֶה נִתְתַּקֵּן מְאוֹר עֵינָיו שֶׁל אָדָם. וְאָז מַכִּיר הָאָדָם הַהֶאָרָה יְתֵרָה שֶׁקִּיבֵּל בְּעֵת הַקִּידּוּשׁ מַה שֶׁהָדְרוּ לֵי' בְּקִדּוּשָׁא דְּבֵי שִׁמְשָׁא (שבת קי"ג) וְזֶה זָכְרֵהוּ בִּכְנִיסָתוֹ וּבִיצִיאָתוֹ (פסחים ק"ו) שֶׁבִּיצִיאָתוֹ נִיכָּר הַזְּכִירָה מֵהַהַכְנָסָה. וְאַחַר כִּי נִתְקַן אֶצְלוֹ חוּשׁ הָרְאִיָּה מִמְּקוֹרוֹ שֶׁהוּא הַדַּעַת א"כ יוּכַל לְהַדְלִיק נ"ח וְלִרְאוֹתוֹ בְּעֵינַיִם פְּקוּחוֹת. וְאוּלַי שָׁגִיתִי ד' יְכַפֵּר וְיָאִיר עֵינַי בתוה"ק בֶּאֱמֶת (כתי"ק):
  1. The distinctions named in the havdalah blessing; “the advantage of light over darkness” is the wording of Koheles 2:13. ↩
  2. Shabbos 113b: “A long stride takes away one five-hundredth of the light of a person's eyes, and it is restored to him at the Kiddush of Friday night.” ↩
  3. Pesachim 106a. There the wording is “‘Remember the Shabbos day to sanctify it’: remember it over wine at its entry”; the Rebbe gives it as “at its entry and at its departure,” as the Rambam has it: “and at its departure, with havdalah” (Hilchos Shabbos 29:1). ↩
  4. The sefer's note, added by his son, the editor: printed from his own handwriting. ↩
In shortHavdalah lets a person recognize the light his eyes gained at Kiddush; with sight repaired at its source, he can see the Chanukah lights with open eyes.
Takeaway

Before we look at the Chanukah lights, we can first clear our minds: knowing the difference between light and darkness, holy and ordinary, is what lets the eyes truly see. And we can hold even our understanding humbly, as the Yismach Yisroel did, asking Hashem to open our eyes in truth.

Translated with AI assistance. Sources not yet mapped; not yet reviewed by a human editor.

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