8th Day of Hanukkah
(Unofficially known as Leftover Latke Day.
We hope you have had a meaningful holiday full of light!)
Chag Urim Sameach! We hope these reflections on light have illuminated your week. As we reflect on the meaning of light, and our power to bring it into the world, we invite you to increase the light with our Center for Tikkun Olam Hanukkah Give Back Guide.
Hanukkah has come to an end, and perhaps we will spend the next few days chipping away at the dried wax before we pack away the Hanukkiot for another year. Hanukkah has come to an end, and yet, we are still in the darkest days of the year. Days away from the Winter Solstice, this year’s darkness feels even thicker, full of fear and anxiety.
Hanukkah has come to an end, but now we prepare for Shabbat. Even as our Festival of Light concludes, it is still our turn to shine our light into the darkness, to kindle the flames not only of the hanukkiah, but of the Shabbat candles. Once again, we look into the flames to see hope and possibility.
So, on this Shabbat—light your Shabbat candles with extra intention. The intention to shine light so bright that the world cannot contain it. To shine light so bright that we drive away the darkness. So bright that it sends sparks all over the universe, once again filling the world—and our hearts—with Divine light and blessing.
Shabbat Shalom.
— Rabbi Sari Laufer