Ceremony and Celebration Family Edition, The Hagim, Hanukka, The Eighth Night, Educational Companion to the Questions
Can copy this into an AI, or connect the whole library to your assistant. For deeper learning, you can directly use the original seforim, sites, and apps.
TO LIGHT ANOTHER LIGHT
When material goods such as money, food, and clothes are shared, they are diminished for the giver. The giver now has less. This is called a zero-sum game. It is you or me. We cannot share the entirety of material goods equally.
Spiritual goods are increased when they are shared. Love, laughter, kindness, and knowledge are all spiritual goods, and when they are shared, they are not diminished for the giver. Rather, they are increased for the giver (for example, making someone laugh will make you laugh also, loving someone will increase love for you in turn, and teaching someone will increase your own knowledge).
Think about what spiritual goods you can share today, in the spirit of Shmuel’s approach to Ḥanukka light.
FROM THE THOUGHT OF RABBI SACKS
According to Rabbi Sacks, Judaism does not see religion as a battle. Rather, Judaism sees itself as a candle, spreading light to the world, and through joining with other candles (other religions) it will increase light in the world. It wishes to shine its light on humanity, and makes space for receiving the light of other cultures and civilisations.
The sharing of light between Ḥanukka candles, as a metaphor for the sharing of Judaism’s light with the world, is expressed in this quote about the God of light, and Judaism as a candle that brightens the world, not a religion of war that causes destruction.
IT ONCE HAPPENED…
Several possible answers are: Hope. Faith. Triumph over adversity. God’s protection. History. Destiny. Freedom.
DEVIOUS DINGBATS
Antiochus
Candle wax
Kislev
Dreidel
Sufganiyot
Maccabees
Ḥanukkiya
Ḥag same’aḥ