Tonight We Light Four Candles. Hanukkah is a celebration of miracles. There are several: the first is that during a time when the ancient temple was desecrated, a small quantity of oil that was only enough to last one night, actually burned for eight nights. Another is the miracle that a small band of Jews was able to defeat the much mightier Continue Reading
Memories That Sustain Us: Hanukkah, Night Three
In a moving piece from Hannah Arendt, she notices that dark times are not rare, but that we have a “right to expect some illumination.” Arendt writes that this illumination comes from human beings who kindle a light with the way they live their lives. When we remember those people who illuminated our lives, it can light us up again and again. Memory Continue Reading
Increase the Light: Hanukkah – Day 2
Lighting the Hanukkiah (Menorah) each night for eight nights is the central ritual of Hanukkah. We add a new candle each night, thereby increasing the light. The lighting of the candles on the Hanukkiah is symbolic of a miracle: A long time ago, when there was only enough oil to last one night, but it ended up (miraculously!) lasting eight nights In Continue Reading
Bringing Light To Darkness: Hanukkah, Night One
Our theme this year for Hanukkah is "Bringing Light to Darkness." The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah occurs in the darkest time of the year on the 25th night of the Hebrew month of Kislev. In 2023, the first night of Hanukkah is Thursday, December 7. Unlike other Jewish holidays, Hanukkah begins when the moon has nearly disappeared from the night sky, Continue Reading
Music As Comfort In This Painful Time: Playlists
In the initial shock of the aftermath of the October 7 massacres in Israel, and every day since people say to me: "I have no words." Whether they are speaking about the hostages, the slaughters, or the photos of young soldiers dying in Israel, or the children and innocents in Gaza who sit among the ruins - we have entered a time of profound sadness. For Continue Reading
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