One of the best parts of being Jewish, and the Jewish civilization, is that we are always either celebrating a holiday, or getting ready to celebrate a holiday.
That is an amazing way to approach time… and life.
The nip in the air is a sign that Chanukah is around the corner.
It is not an accident, say our Sages, that this ‘festival of lights’ comes at the darkest time of the year.
It is now that we need that boost of illumination and joy.
Chanukah is our holiday where we celebrate religious diversity, and our own flavor of religious expression. It is where we teach existential messages of perseverance against the odds, and miracles that have allowed us to reach this present day.
Most of all, it is a holiday of ‘hope.’
No matter where we lived, which country or era; no matter what was going on in the world around us, or in our own lives; we Jews would light the Chanukah menorah. We Jews would, and continue to, insist on bringing more light into the world. Especially when the nights are cold and the sky is dark.
This year we will continue that tradition and add to it the tradition of adapting with the times.
We, your TE clergy, are going to come to you.
Each night of Chanukah, we are going to drive a pick-up truck loaded with our giant menorah to a neighborhood near you, and together (but spaced apart and masked, please), we will say our blessings, sing our songs, and light our lights.
These eight nights are just part of the Chanukah programming, and cheer, that we are delighted to deliver to you, like a gift.
Won’t you join us?
Shabbat Shalom (and happy, almost, Chanukah!),
