Let Our Light Shine Among the Darkness

by Rabbi Jonathan Aaron Senior Rabbi, Temple Emanuel

The last several months have seen an increase in hate speech, anti-Semitism, gun violence, and war. Of course, it may be possible to write that statement every month—because darkness and violence and hatred is a constant in our world. Shining from that darkness is a holiday of light, Hanukkah. It has become a symbol of freedom from tyranny and darkness . . . it is a time to reflect on the value of religious freedom, and the openness of society to allow the self-determination of each person. Two thousand years ago our people fought against those whose values were not aligned with ours. Today, we have the power and freedom to speak out and express our beliefs, and Hanukkah reminds us of our responsibility to shine the light of goodness and compassion into the world and work to make it better for those who will light the candles of the Festival of Lights.

Ilona Schiffner (@jewishbychoice) wrote: In today’s darkness, we realize this war is not over. So we light a candle. And another one, and so on until the 8th day. We grow the light a bit more every day and we learn that a little light can eliminate a lot of darkness. The Hellenistic (Greek) culture brought to expression as a virtue all of the lowest part of the human being: violence, anger, jealousy, competitiveness, rudeness, blatant sexuality, etc. We acknowledge to have all of these within us in a way or another, however on Channukah we pray and intent on lighting a candle in the lowest places of our lives, and not give up the fight as eventually, like the Maccabees, we will come out as winners . . . We remember that the Jewish people are supposed to be authentic and shine their light. Our inner light must shine against the darkness of evil and indifference and must kindle the spirits of our fellow humans.

May the lights of Hanukkah help you to find the light within yourself, and let that light shine out to all who you love, and into the world.

by Aaron Wiener TEMPTY Youth Director

Our teens are involved in so many opportunities that we forget to think about where their journey started. I believe it starts with establishing a foundation to understand your true identity. When our teens can network, engage, and collaborate with one another, they can all learn from one another. That’s what we are trying to do in our Jewish communities. I invite you to read the full article describing the importance of building a movement at the link below.

Visit urj.org or urj.org/blog/building-meaningful-jewish-world-lesson-expanding-temple-youth-group-programs.