Bringing Light to Darkness
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 improving ourselves, our community, and our world.
Look Within
Hanukkah comes at the dark time of year, which invites us to turn within.
When we look inward, we can connect with our kavannot, our intentions.
To what might we plan to dedicate ourselves to at this time, in this moment?
As we see from the following Talmud text, we can only dedicate something that is ours to give:
A person cannot make holy an item that is not theirs.
Talmud – Bava Batra 88a:8
אֵין אָדָם מַקְדִּישׁ דָּבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ שֶׁלּוֹ
Collective Dedication
In Parshat Naso (the second Torah portion in the Book of Numbers), by some counts the longest Torah portion, we learn about the gifts that the chiefs of all twelve tribes bring for the dedication of the altar in the ancient mishkan (sacred dwelling place for the Divine) in Jerusalem.
The mishkan travels with the Jewish people throughout their desert journey. It was a proto-temple that was always with them.
Something fascinating happens next in Parshat Naso: there is what seems like a thoroughly repetitive enumeration, tribe by tribe, of the gifts of dedication that each tribal chieftain brings. The same gifts, one after the other!
Consequently, it may seem that what we bring as a gift of dedication is similar or possibly even identical to others’ offerings, but each of our gifts is unique.
Let us dedicate ourselves to bringing forward our special and precious light into the world.
What are you dedicating yourself to in this moment?
From Our Community
Dedications shared by members of our Hineni Spiritual Community:
I am dedicated to talking about and believing in our shared humanity, and to working for peace.
Rabbi Jill Zimmerman
Alice Krull:
I am dedicated to being kind to even the most passing relationships to spread light & loving-kindness.
Elizabeth Crouch
I am dedicated to giving forward more, laughing more, loving more, and saying my Jewish prayers more.
Madeline
I am dedicated to doing something to make someone’s day brighter every day.
Sue Rodriguez:
I am dedicated to being kind to even the most passing relationships to spread light & loving-kindness.
Tonight we light six candles.
Click here for the Chanukah Blessings to say each night.
Sign up for our Hanukkah emails, which you will receive in your inbox each day. Click here.
Happy Hanukkah,
Thank you to our rabbinic intern, Anita Barzman, MD for writing this post.
Numbers 4:21–7:89
I believe that love is the spiritual equivalent of energy and is what holds the universe together. Beauty is that love made visible, and the more closely something resembles that unifying spiritual energy (love), the more beautiful it is. I want to re-dedicate myself to creating something beautiful.
that’s so lovely David.
I want to rededicate my gift of listening and hearing another. Sometimes I jump in too quickly and don;t let what others say sink in.
I have read a text too quickly and thought it said one thing but when I reread it find it says something completely different.
I rededicate myself to leave something in order for me to see it clearer. Then I can respond or not depending on whether it needs a response.
I dedicate myself to leaving to Abba that which I may want to fix. It’s not my job.