The word "Hanukkah" - חֲנֻכָּה - means "dedication". Tonight is about remembering and affirming what dedication means to you. The lights on our hanukkiah (menorah) are not only for beauty.They should serve as a reminder of our core values and the meaningful actions we take to uphold them in the world. In This Time In this particular moment, Continue Reading
Dedicate Yourself This Hanukkah – Day 6
The word "Hanukkah" - חֲנֻכָּה - means "dedication". The Festival of Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of the oil that burned for eight nights. Hanukkah commemorates the purification and re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabees’ defeat of the Greeks. Tonight, we are looking towards what we can each dedicate ourselves to 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
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
