Lighting the Darkness
By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Collected Resources | Hanukkah
In the northern hemisphere, we light the eighth Hanukkah candle on one of the darkest night of the year–the new moon closest to the winter solstice. These readings and videos explore the importance of increasing our light in dark times.
Read MoreHanukkah Learning
By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Collected Resources | Hanukkah
Learn with JTS Faculty and Students to enrich your Hanukkah celebrations.
Read MoreChancellor’s 5781 Hanukkah Message
Dec 11, 2020 By Shuly Rubin Schwartz | Short Video | Hanukkah
Chancellor Schwartz shares her thoughts for Hanukkah.
Read MoreMiracles of Today
Dec 11, 2020 By Shuly Rubin Schwartz | Commentary | Hanukkah
One of the things I love most about Jewish holiday observances is their evolution over time and space even as core rituals remain. Hanukkah exemplifies this phenomenon. Established by the Hasmoneans to commemorate the victory of the Maccabees over Antiochus, Hanukkah in the Talmud (composed several centuries after these events) focuses on celebrating the miracle of the Temple oil lasting for eight days. With few prescribed mitzvot associated with the holiday, Hanukkah has long been ripe for creative interpretation: theological, sociological, culinary, musical, and artistic. The Hanukkiah itself illustrates its generativity, for it has been hewn from the humblest potato or the most ornate, intricately designed sterling silver; it can take the form of a tiny travel jigsaw puzzle or an enormous outdoor display.
Read MoreBorukh Ate
Dec 7, 2020 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Short Video | Hanukkah
“Borukh ate” zingt der tate—a father sings the opening words of the blessing, and kindles the light, and its soft rays fall on his pale face. With just a few words, the poet Avrom Reisen paints a picture of a slightly stooped, weary man, who somehow finds meaning and holiness in a simple act of lighting the Hanukkiah. The gentle melody, almost a lullaby, reminiscent of a folk song, yet soaring with emotion, was written by a composer Solomon Golub.
Read MoreThe Hanukkah Story I Need to Hear This Year
Dec 15, 2017 By David Hoffman | Commentary | Hanukkah
Stories have great power. We tell stories about ourselves and about our communities because they give our lives meaning, and they help us navigate between the past and the future. We use stories to help us make sense of the world and our place in it. Not far behind the seemingly innocent plots of many of the stories we tell about our community’s religious history lie profound cultural responses to our most pressing questions about what it means to be a human being and how to live life well.
Read MoreYosef: A Light in the Darkness
Dec 8, 2017 By Eitan Fishbane | Commentary | Vayeshev | Hanukkah
Parashat Vayeshev takes us deep into the pain and alienation of being human, of yearning from a low place of darkness and suffering. And yet the narrative also conveys the power of hope—a longing for God and redemption, for spiritual and moral healing in our human relationships.
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