Chanuka – Page 3 – Rabbi Jon 's Website and Blog

December 7, 2017

Jerusalem and the U.S. Embassy

Here are some thoughts in response to President Trump’s announcement yesterday about recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and initiating the transfer of the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv. I’m thinking about this spiritually and emotionally as a Jew, as well as politically as an American and as a person tied to Israel. All day… Continue reading

Antisemitism, Chanuka, Community Relations, Current Affairs, Interfaith Dialogue, Islam, Israel, Jerusalem, Leadership, Peace, Tikkun Olam, Tzedek, USA

December 3, 2012

True or False: Chanuka Is a Minor Holiday

For another version of this as a podcast: http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerlightsmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://rabbijon.podbean.com/mf/play/x9qqbr/Chanuka–LivinginTwoCulturesHellensiticStyle.mp3&autoStart=no Podcast Powered By Podbean (Reprinted from the December 2013 bulletin of Temple Beth Abraham) True, but…. It's true that Chanuka is not a major holy day, like Shabbat or Pesach. It's not from the Torah. There are no restrictions in traditional Judaism. A weekday during Chanuka… Continue reading

Chanuka, Holidays

December 23, 2011

Shabbat Chanuka: The Kavannah of Giving

Like most rabbis, I dislike the way so much of the focus of Chanuka shifts from the nerot, the lights, to the presents kids receive. But I also know that giving, at any time, is a profound Jewish act. Last week during Shabbat evening services, we davvened in our small chapel. Usually one of the… Continue reading

Chanuka, Holidays, Miketz, Parashat Hashavua, Tzedakah

December 6, 2010

Dreidl: Since You Asked…

I was asked over the weekend what the "real" origin of the dreidl or sevivon is. Courtesy of my teacher Rabbi David Golinkin: Dreidl is a Jewish/Hebrew adaptation of a medieval European game. Read his full story here at myjewishlearning.com. To me, it's a small example of one of the themes of Chanuka since the… Continue reading

Chanuka, Holidays

December 5, 2010

Light Is In the Air

I love this song and video of Bible Raps, Matt and Ori. I love it because they know that sometimes fire is even bigger than candles. The fire of Torah, of hope, of Judaism, of our souls — a vivid fire in this video. (For some reason my site cuts off the right side of… Continue reading

Chanuka, Holidays, Music

December 1, 2010

Another Twist on Chanuka

If you want to read something completely different about how Chanuka became a holiday in Talmudic times, here's a fascinating article by my teacher Dr. Moshe Benovitz, from the Schechter Institute in Israel, which is the sister of the Jewish Theological Seminary. The Ascription of New Meaning to Hanukkah after the Destruction of the… Continue reading

Chanuka, History, Holidays

December 18, 2009

Last Day of Chanuka: Dimensions of 8

This last day's focus on Jewish dedication is centered on the number 8 itself. Eight is a significant Jewish number. A bris takes place on the eighth day of a boy's life. Eight is associated with the ancient Temple in Jerusalem — King Shlomo dedicated the first Temple on Sukkot, the eight-day fall festival. In… Continue reading

Chanuka, Eight, Holidays, Justice, Money, Numbers, Tikkun Olam, Tzedakah, Tzedek

December 17, 2009

Chanuka — Seventh Candle

Dedication, take 7: One of the great Jewish organizations in the U.S. working in support of Jews overseas has been the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. "The Joint" was founded in 1914 by American Jewish philanthropists Henry Morgenthau Sr. and Jacob Schiff to aid the Jews of Ottoman Palestine, who had been cut off by… Continue reading

Chanuka, Holidays, Israel, Tzedakah, Young Jewish Adult

December 16, 2009

Chanuka — Sixth Candle

If you're looking for something to help people who are not Jewish understand Chanuka, here is a 13-minute TV interview I did this month for Londonderry's public access cable TV program "Londonderry Heart, Home, and Soul" with host Mark Oswald. Jewish dedication for the sixth candle: The Young Judaea Zionism movement's "Year Course" has been… Continue reading

Chanuka, Holidays, Israel, Jewish Education, Teens, Young Jewish Adult

December 15, 2009

Chanuka — Fifth Candle

This afternoon a group of seven of us went to the Pheasant Lane Mall. Last week one of the young Israelis working there called after me — she saw my kippah — and I found out she was from Modi'in, home of the Maccabees. They come for the holiday season and work very late, no… Continue reading

Chanuka, Food, Holidays, Israel, Tikkun Olam, Tzedakah, Tzedek

December 14, 2009

Chanuka — Fourth Candle

I'm catching up from Shabbat and the weekend… For some adult-level thinking about Chanuka, I recommend David Brooks's op-ed last week in the New York Times, and also my podcast. Another profile in Jewish dedication: The American Jewish World Service is the major Jewish organization working on the ground in the developing world. They are… Continue reading

Chanuka, Holidays, Justice, Tikkun Olam, Tzedakah, Tzedek, Young Jewish Adult

December 11, 2009

Shabbat Chanuka (1) — Tzedakah and Music

Chag Urim Sameach and Shabbat Shalom! There is a modern tradition that for each candle of Chanuka, the Holiday of Dedication, we might think about or direct a gift of tzedakah to people who exemplify dedication to justice, freedom, or hope. Today I learned that my friend and colleague Rabbi David Rosenn will be moving… Continue reading

Chanuka, Holidays, Music, Tikkun Olam, Tzedakah, Tzedek, Young Jewish Adult