To go around with a dirty hat because it’s Shabbos and you can’t clean it is itself kavod Shabbos

“Take some of the blood that is on the Mizbeiach and some of the anointing oil, and dash some of the mixture on Aharon and his clothes as well as on his sons and his sons’ clothes along with him.” (Shemos 29:21)

Blood was sprayed on the Bigdei Kehunah all seven days of the miluim (erection of the Mishkan). However, in Maseches Zevachim (18a) it says that if the Bigdei Kehunah are dirty then they aren’t kosher. So if you shpritz blood on the Bigdei Kehunah, they should become passul, no? There is actually a pshat that the Bigdei Kehunah cannot be washed at all, but should be replaced when they get dirty. Therefore, it’s puzzling to understand that all seven days of the Yemei Hamiluim, the Bigdei Kehunah were made dirty with oil and blood. (Rav Yisrael Reisman)

Beware of smoke. It stains. Trust me, I know. Every Chanukah we run into the same problem. All my boys light their own menorahs and they get very competitive about whose menorah is going to stay lit the longest. Hence the wicks get longer every year, the cups of oil get wider, and the smoke emitting from these menorahs lined up inside next to the patio door rises higher and stains my dining room ceiling black.

I’ve begged my boys. Made impassioned pleas. They all agree to tone it down every year. But somehow the wicks are still long, the oil still hot, and I still get black circles on my dining room ceiling.

A bochur in camp once asked Rav Moshe Feinstein a sh’eilah. One Shabbos afternoon, his hat fell off and got dirty. He asked Rav Moshe if he could clean it because it’s not kavod Shabbos to walk around with a dirty hat. Rav Moshe answered that to go around with a dirty hat because it’s Shabbos and you can’t clean it is itself a hiddur and it’s kavod Shabbos.

Similarly, Rav Gifter said over a similar response to someone who approached him on Chol Hamoed and said that if I don’t shave on Chol Hamoed, that’s not kavod for the last days of Yom Tov. Rav Gifter said that actually, following halachah is the kavod of the Yom Tov.

I don’t know how most people would handle black circles on their dining room ceiling, but this poor housekeeper can’t stand them. It makes the room look aged and unkept. I tried to overcome my initial dislike and make peace with it. I told myself that it’s beautiful because it was smoke from a mitzvah permanently etched on my ceiling, but no matter what pep talk I gave myself, I wound up repainting the dining room ceiling every year after Chanukah. Beware of smoke; it’s expensive to repaint the ceiling once a year.

We also came across this in parshas Vayeitzei (Bereishis, 29:17). It says that Leah’s eyes were puffy, but Rochel was beautiful. The Sifsei Chachamim expresses surprise that the Torah would talk negatively of Leah. So if the Torah’s saying the eyes of Leah weren’t beautiful, there must be a beautiful reason why not. And that’s what Rashi says, that she would cry that she shouldn’t marry Eisav. Thus, in her case, the red, puffy eyes were beautiful.

Here, too, the fact that the begadim were sprayed with blood was beautiful. It wasn’t a chisaron, because the blood was mekadeish the begadim. The bloodstains were from the inauguration of the Yemei Hamiluim of the Kehunah and that was something to be proud of.

Finally, about two years ago, Binyamin and Yitzi built a whole contraption right outside the patio door to house the many menorahs. Hubby was happy because it was actually more mehudar than inside the house. Boys were happy because there was plenty of room to house even bigger cups of oil and longer wicks than before. And me, I was happy because I could keep my ceiling white and clean.

I feel awkward ending this tale like this. Ultimately, I wasn’t able to work on myself enough to overcome my natural aversion to smoke stains and accept them as the evidence of a mitzvah. Beware of smoke: It confuses me. I wonder what other people feel about this. Maybe I can open a support group. Contact me @dirtyceilingsamitzvah.com.

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 983)