Our Hebrew high school offers core classes and elective classes in small units. When we were approaching the new unit, the educator asked me if I would be willing to teach a knitting class. I agreed to do it on two conditions: that we were able to somehow create a class that also involved serious [...]
Archive for the ‘Judaism’ Category
27 Dec
The Eighth Candle
Today’s synonym for light is (last, but absolutely not least) inspiration / spirituality. There was a machloket (a disagreement) between the houses of Hillel and Shammai as to what order the candles on the Chanukiah should be lit on Chanukah. The house of Shammai stated that the holiday should begin with all eight candles lit, [...]
26 Dec
The Sixth and Seventh Candles
I got caught up with family celebrating Chanukah this weekend, and so am posting candles six and seven together this evening. Watching my nephew squeal over the “wheel” toys we bought him was well worth it!! Synonym number six for light was “beacon.” A beacon is a light signaling safety or home that can be [...]
24 Dec
The Fifth Candle
Today’s synonyms for light are clear / lucent. It has become a common practice today for people to greet one another throughout the month of December by saying, “Happy Holidays.” It is wonderful that we live in a culture that is so inclusive and understanding of the multitude of faith traditions that live in our [...]
23 Dec
The Fourth Candle
The fourth set of light synonyms is humorous / cheery. We can often bring light into our lives and that of others through humor. Adam Sandler knew it well when he wrote his Chanukah song. A quick Google or YouTube search will turn up a lot of funny and fun videos and songs about this [...]
22 Dec
The Third Candle
One of the main themes of the holiday season in that of “spreading good cheer.” As we walk the public streets, malls, supermarkets, etc we hear its refrain. “’Tis the season to be jolly…” Now, I’ll grant that the demand for December mirth is geared toward Christmas, but Jews have joy in our holiday as [...]
21 Dec
The Second Candle
Some other synonyms for light are bright or brilliant. We often become so caught up in gift buying and the children’s version of the Chanukah story, that we forget what the real history of this holiday is. As I mentioned in last year’s Chanukah post, “The story of Chanukah marks a time when the Greeks [...]
20 Dec
The First Candle
Last week, a group from our Women’s Club gathered to celebrate Chanukah (a little early). As part of my teaching, I prepared eight meditations on the theme of light. I looked up the word in a thesaurus and discovered that the many synonyms for this word made interesting concepts on which to create a theme [...]
18 Dec
Synonyms for Inspired
I am writing these words onboard an Amtrak train returning from Washington DC where I attended the most moving, uplifting, and fulfilling URJ biennial conference that I have ever attended. At this largest URJ biennial ever, we heard inspiring words from world famous statesmen. We welcomed and greeted the 2 Baraks (Barak Obama and Ehud [...]
7 Dec
An Inspirational Moment
Hello! As you’ve probably noticed, I took a little break from blogging for a few months. I think I’m back now. I’ve had a bit of writers block, and I think that one good way to get past it is to have a guest blogger write for me . At B’nei Mitzvah services at Temple [...]
