Ner Ish U’Beiso and Mehadrin
Question
Shalom uVracha.
A. A person who has daughters at home who do not light, does he fulfill the level of mehadrin?
If not, should the members of the family allow the head of the household to light second rather than first, so that he can fulfill the mitzvah le'mehadrin?
B. Is it better for a guest to light on his own rather than contribute a perutah?
If so, why did Rabbi Zeira not light on his own?
Answer
Shalom uVracha,
A. He does, since daughters are not included in this takanah, even though they are obligated in the mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles, when there is a man at home, he is the one who lights.
B. A mitzvah is always better when a person does it himself rather than through someone else.
It could be that Rabbi Zeira did not have enough money to light on his own and therefore needed to participate with someone else.
