Never Forget Another Night Of Chanukah

chabad menorah carPHOTO: Should you ever forget which night of Chanukah it is, there’s no need to worry. You can always count on Chabad to remind you. Seen in this reader-submitted photo is the Chabad mobile Mitzvah car topped with a Menorah, continuing to spread their ‘light’ around Lakewood and around the globe. Photo: F.L.

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37 COMMENTS

  1. I hope there was no cynicism intended in this ‘article’. When most of us book vacations around the globe, the first thing we do is make sure that there’s a Chabad house to pray in on Shabbat.

  2. I was in the Freeway Race away mall this past sunday (as were a lot of our community) and Chabad (of Manalapan, I think) made this big menorah lighting. What a kiddush Hashem, there were ppl on hand making sure all the lost souls had menorahs for their houses!

  3. isn’t this illegal for someone to drive around with that unsafe object attached to the roof of the car. where is LPD to stop this guy, someone can get hurt from this object falling off the car.

  4. It is illegal to do anything in NJ.
    They can arrest or fine you for anything you do. You know that!
    Did you put out your garbage early? Do you have your smoke detectors working? Soon they will regulate lighting menorahs in our houses because of global warming.

  5. moreinu Rav Ahron deeply disagreed with chabad
    besides dont you think the shulchan orach could have written parsumei nissah light on your wagon ?????? do you ever wonder why our chachomin were not smart enough to think of this

  6. Did anyone see the car by 123 auto deals this passed shaboss with a menora on it. Last night I also spotted a Toyota sienna with a menora on it. We should have all of the cars with menoras on them Join the holiday parade next year.

  7. the shulchan aruch didn’t specify every prat of pirsumei nissa… just spreading the light in any creative way they can think of… why be a hater?

  8. To: Co’on. Did they ever have public menorahs lighting. In europe by our grand fathers ? Did they run around with menorahs on there wagons etc no I’m not a hater just to me it sounds like a new religion esp since even today we still don’t even light outside we r still “shass sakana” so do we feel the need to stick it in there face ? And yes our chachomim were quite clear with the mitzva. Can u answer why didn’t they come up with such a great idea ?

  9. what chabad and many others have done and continue to do to spread the message of chanukah and to educate as many as possible about the mitsvos we do is not a new religion. desperate times call for desperate measures. unfortanatly the vast majority of yiddin in the united states and throughout the world have very limited connection or none at all to their yidishkeit. we have to do all we can to give them that connection. its not easy and sometimes we have to come up with creative innovative ideas to reach out. our grand fathers in europe might not have needed such public ceremonies or publicity stunts, but every generation has its own challenges that they have to adress. unconnected jews is one of ours and there is nothing better to do then to show that we cherish our yomim tovim with all their wonderfull meaningfull mitsvos, that we want to share that joy with all yiddin,that we care about them and we want them to have their connection to yiddishkeit and to klal yisroel as well. I dont believe that this creates any sakana (and ive spoken to poskim in lkwd who agree). Many people will tell you how much they appreciate the “holiday cheer” and that they respect the expression of joy and celebration. Its time for yiddin to feel comftorable being a yid and practicing yiddishkeit and to be proud of it. we have something very special. we shouldnt hide it. we should respectfully take pride in what we have, and we definitly should and must spread it and share it with our fellow yidin who thirst for it so much

  10. Not every minhag that we do now was done then, I’ve seen people in lakewood that light the menorah outside and its beautiful to see people caring about other people making sure every jew has a menora and the reason why they didn’t put the menora on their wagon was because they would have been killed I don’t think that’s the case now even though we are still considered shass sakono that is no reason to stop spreading the light

  11. To daastorah (#14),
    Since this is not a takana or a minhag being instituted, you cannot learn from the shtetl. In the Shtetl it was either frume yidden or peasant goyim, there was no reason to place a Menorah on the wagon, but today there are hundreds of Jews who see the menorah and are actually reminded about Chanukah and yiddishkeit.
    And if you’re worried about shaas sakana, let me tell you that both Jews and non-Jews love the menorah. And if only you had as much respect for a fellow Jew, (whether Chabad, litvak, MO) like the non-Jews who smile , wave, pull out their phones to take pictures of the Menorah.
    I;m not saying you hv to put one on your car, but live and let live.
    Happy Chanukah!

  12. Das torah, i dont know where your ideas are coming from. However, what i do know is that if my anscestors (who lived in russia not that long ago) would have shown any sign that they were jewish they would have been perecuted not only from their neighbors but also their goverment. All im trying is baruch hashem we live in a country that gives us freedom and ability to do the amazing things these people are doing. AS im sure you understand Europe was burning just 70 years ago

  13. anonomos says:
    December 8, 2010 at 11:09 pm
    we have a mesora of what to do and what not to do. If we dont have a mesora its wrong.

    ====================================================

    where is the mesora of men learning and women working?

    where is the mesora of only wearing white shirts ?
    where is the mesora of every homemade chosid must wear a shtreimel?

  14. well said 22 OUR GEDOLim never agreed with this tactics yes we have a mesorah and this is NOT OUR mesorah

    as the saying goes “when in rome do as the romans- When in LAKEWOOD do as the bnei hayshiva /Litvish minhag
    i would not be voicing my concern if they were in crown heights
    do all the above also hang a “moshiach flag”?

  15. Really man? Really? The menorah is not for you! It’s for the thousands of people who drive on the 9 etc… Not trying to snub anyone… And mainstream Chabad doesn’t care about the moshiach flag….
    If the menorah reminds even ONE Jew to light menorah, then its done a gr8 thing! And caused a yid to do a mitzvah, how can you argue with that?

  16. Cmon persumei nissah is for all not only kiruv i just check it up in the mishana brurah (still havent found the mikor for “car lighting” )
    do you light your menorah outside if you dont why not ?

    and according to statements made by chabad reps in court “menorahs are sign of freedom” nothing to do with religion (look up court cases in regard to public lighting ) so i am cofused…………..

  17. “Its not part of our mesorah”??? Why is it that kiruv became the in thing these days? Iam sure 20 years ago the gedolim would not agree with all these kiruv movements I bet you aish hatorah will start public menorah lightings. And the next time your on vacation in orlando, Venice, africa or yehupitz make sure to stop by the chabad house to chap a minyan and a shabbos meal after all their there to serve all your needs including glatt kosher food!

  18. It seems wonderful at first sight but what would you say if someone decided to add to his mitzvah of tfillin by putting on tfillin on his foot!

    the answer is clear- that is not the place for tfillin and we only do the mitzvos as we were told to. No additions. Putting a minorah other than at your home or the beis medrash is not the Takonas Chazal and is just like tfillin on the FEET!

    The chazal said how to make the Pirsum Haness. Putting up billboards or other things (monoras in public places) as per our feelings is not what was wanted by Chazal! It is also a bracha livatolah if they make a brocha. Sorry Tfillin on the foot says it all!

  19. To all the “outdoor Menorah bashers” and the Anon, the “Tefilin on the foot guy”, I don’t necessarily disagree with you, I would just ask that you be consistent. If you truly want to follow the Takanas Chazal and not make your own “new religion”… do you apply the same criteria to other things that have become accepted too? What about a Shtreimel? Is that a Takanas Chazal? Haven’t some people adopted that as if it was? You would be hard pressed to make a case that it is a “Minhag” in the true sense of the word, more than just a style of dress that has been adopted. What about a Mitzva Tance, is that something Chazal instituted or found in Shulchan Aruch? I’m rather sure it is not and quite possible would be frowned upon by Chazal, and yet it has become standard practice in some circles. So let’s be be selective in our criticism just because it is not your particular practice. I would point out that at least an outdoor Menorah has the intent of Pirsumei Neisah that is found in Chazal and that is a lot more than what could be said on the many other “Minhagim/adoptions/distortions that are found everywhere.

  20. There was once a talmid of r’ chaim of volozhin that went off the derech, rch”l. They met up awhile later, and the talmid started asking questions about emuna, torah, and yiddishkeit. R’ Chaim answered: did you have these questions before you went off the path? The talmid started weeping and asked to come back. what i am trying to say with story is simply, these arguments against the car top menora is simply because its chabad doing it, and therefore you make arguments or excuses to further your hatred against them. this is obviusly true because as soon as aish hatora etc. would do this then all the questions will cease to exist. like we see that almost all gedolim today praise the kiruv movement when just 30 years ago, when only chabad was doing it, it was assur. I am only bringing this up for everyone to realise that it is sinas chinam, baseless hatred, and only through ahavas chinam will we bring moshiach may he come speedily in our days. amen.

  21. Again you people just don’t get it! this is NOT adding to the mitzvah of lighting…. and if you want to say its not persumei nissa, Fine! but chabad is reminding people that its chanukah!
    a menorah on the car is a way of doing that…
    its not like putting teffilin on your foot, we don’t need a mesorah..
    its just being mefarsum (publicizing) the miracle of chanukkah..
    We only have a mitzvah to put teffilin on ourselves, but nevertheless we go try to get people who wouldn’t otherwise put on teffilin, to do so….
    also, the menorah can be symbolizing to the world, anything you want it to be.. freedom, a reminder, or for attention to Judaism as a whole , whatever… just look at it objectively… not like chabad vs misnagdim..
    (and remeber its not a must for every chabadnick to put a menorah on their car…)
    its the jewish holiday, that can sometimes get swallowed up by the goisha holidays. and chabad is making a shturem to make sure that, that doesn’t happen .. and thats it, not shulchan aruch, mystical based reason…

  22. for peasach they will have a matzha or a lamb on there cars shofer for rosh hashana sneakers for yom kipper lulov on their cars no need for mitzva tanks

    at least the menorah and the hamentash allready exist

  23. There is no mokor for pirsumai nisa by korbon peasach, rosh hashana, yom kippur and succos and yes they do go out and give matzos, shake lulav and blow shofar for those yidden that are not fortunate to do that on there own. Maybe think before you you write something because your ignorance speaks in your writing.

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