2020 has brought us many challenges that we have endured with strength and bravery. May we have hope that 2021 will be a year of making things better for everyone.
We all belong to a number of different circles of belonging. We ourselves lie at the centre, at the outer rim is the world as a whole, and in the middle, we find some of our most meaningful and powerful circles of belonging.
May Rabbi Sacks’ memory be a blessing, because surely his accomplishments and his contributions have already brought enormous blessing to Judaism, and grace and dignity, faith and hope, to a fractured world.
Chanukah is a celebration of light, family, and food related events. It’s meant to be simple, and it is also an opportunity to promote what we call “eight nights of giving”, whether one gives to charity, to various members of family, chooses a mitzvah project across eight nights or eight projects. Chanukah is a concise and specific opportunity at the darkest time of year to bring light to so many.
The glow of the menorah has a special power, one that binds families together and communicates a message of love and faith in a culture where despair has become routine. As Chunakah grows nearer we are reminded of the value of light in our lives, whether the spark is derived from candles, oil, or emotional insight and belief in the future.