Woodstock, NY – A Jewish group in Woodstock, N.Y. is trading its candles for solar energy with a sun-powered Hanukkah menorah.
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Rabbi Avroham Itkin tells the Daily Freeman newspaper the idea came about because there is no electricity at the site where the Chabad of Ulster County sets up its outdoor menorah every year.
The group used to use candles, but someone had to stay at the site as a safety precaution.
Itkin says the solar menorah charges up during the day and turns on automatically at night.
The eight-day Hannukah festival commemorates the relighting of a menorah in the Temple of Jerusalem after a small band of Jews reclaimed it from foreign occupiers. The Jews only had a one-day supply of oil, but the menorah miraculously burned for eight days.
I know I’m not the only one that uses an “elctricity-free” Menorah.
And as far as Chabad houses goes, the ones I’ve seen use fueled lanterns, not electricity. So while this may be the first solar Menorah, I find it not any kind of significant milestone. Now if you told me tha 770 went Solar and isn’t using any city-provided electric, now that would be a milestone to report about.
Kok hakovod to Rav Itkin for showing the way by combining common sense caution while being makayem the two big mitzvot of pirsumei nissah and tikun olam
Conventional menorahs are also sun powered. Olive oil comes from olives, which grown on olive trees, which derive nutrition from the sun.
“There is nothing new under the sun.”
A victory against the “Sun-ay Yisroel”
There’s a big sheila if you can be yotzei the mitzvah with electricity. My rebbe was matir it in a shas hadchak if the electric source was “b’ein”, alltached in a noticable way, like a battery pack, but not it is plugs in. If the solar menorah has an energy storage device attached, it’s probably muttar. Making brachos on outside menorahs in a rishus harabim is probably not muttar though.
The chassidishe seforim say we don’t even put the menorah in the window, let alone outside – what mekor is there for public menorahs?
Considering this menorah is in ultra Liberal Woodstock, that has a sizable Jewish population, where alternative energy is embraced, this solar powered Menorah will cause people to come closer to Hashem and their Jewish heritage.
Kol hakavod
This is the second year for Boys Town Jerusalem having a solar menorah on the roof of their school. This outstanding school in Yerushalayim combines Torah and Technology.
Technically, it’s a battery powered menorah – it’s the recharging of the batteries that is solar powered. A battery powered menorah can very well be a “kosher” menorah (assuming the lights are “incandescent”, and not “LED”) and one can possibly be able to make the brachos on lighting this type of menorah. Disclaimer: I am not a rabbi, so please check with one before acting on my musings.
I use biodegradable olive oil and cotton wicks in my menorah.
I assume that Woodtock rabbi isn’t yotzei on this display menorah, but also lights with oil at home as the rest of us do.