Tonight we light the 7th candle of Hanukkah. All throughout this holiday, we have been collecting the ways we actively bring light into our lives, or how we recognize the light. Every night we light one more candle, following the principle of gradually increasing the light (Talmud, Shabbat 21b:5) The experience of being grateful fills us with light. Continue Reading
Chanukah Night #7: Grateful
Tonight we light the 7th candle of Chanukah. The question today is: For what 7 things are you grateful? Here are mine (not in order): Creativity - the constant flow of ideas and projects that stimulate and give me a zest for life. This takes the form of putting lesson plans together or knitting or gardening or taking photos. Creativity is like a Continue Reading
Creative Quarantine
What an opportunity! Most of us are either in forced or elective quarantine. What if we used this time to learn, create and be inspired? Could there be a blessing inside this moment? Think of it like an extended Sabbath/Shabbat. Some suggestions about how to make the most of this time - and let's share with each other: Create a list of books Continue Reading
Increase the Light
Tonight we light the 3rd candle of Hanukkah. The story of Hanukkah is that even in the darkest of times, we make light. The tradition is that we light a new candle for each of the 8 nights of the holiday, thereby increasing the light each night. The rabbis understood that light was not just the physical light that we see with our eyes. There's an inner Continue Reading
Chanukah 2018, Third Night Is About Inspiration
Tonight we light the 3rd candle. The question is: What three musicians, poets or artists give you inspiration? My 3 are*: 1) Chava Mirel whose voice and soul touches mine very deeply. Her inner light shines through all she does. I just love this woman. 2) Slow Meadow - I discovered his music on InsightTimer as a meditation & was so moved that I Continue Reading