Hanukkah Miracles & Light

Every week, I have the opportunity to be a part of t'filah with our Kesher students, both on Sundays and Tuesdays. This time is one of the many highlights of my week! I am

always moved by the joy our Kesher students express as they sing and pray together. The community and connections they are making are palpable. They are building a deep understanding of how prayer can have meaning in their lives today.

Over these last couple weeks, we have been thinking about how Hanukkah and the story of the Maccabees is richly connected to our prayer of freedom, Mi Chamocha. Hanukkah is a story about the Maccabees and a military victory against the ancient Greeks. The initials “Maccabee” in Hebrew are actually an acronym for this prayer. The letters stand for Mi Chamocha ba’Eilim Adonai which translates to “Who is like You, God, among all the others.” The miracle of the Maccabees is there, if we look for it, every time we consider the miracle of the Exodus.

“Sometimes miracles aren’t as spectacular as the parting of the Sea of Reeds,” explains our Reform Movement’s youth prayer book, Mishkan T’fillah for Youth. “Miracles can be found all around us, in moments like the birth of a child, or in the wonder of first learning to read. Nature is full of miracles as well, like the intricate crystals in a snowflake or a rainbow in the sky.”

It is hard sometimes to think of miracles when there is so much that challenges our world. And, yet, this ability to look for the good, to look for the miracles around us can be an antidote to all that feels hard, sad, and out of control.

What are some everyday miracles, large or small, that you have experienced? Where can you look for these everyday miracles? How might we share these experiences with those we love and with our Temple Emanuel and larger Jewish and world communities?

When I asked our Kesher students about the everyday miracles they have experienced, they shared their miracles including families who love them for who they are, leaders who are working towards peace in the world, friends who make them feel seen, pets, clothes and food and shelter. Our youth understand the miracles of everyday lives.

And gathering together to celebrate all that is good and light-giving is a miracle too! This Hanukkah, there are many ways we can gather at Temple Emanuel. Just a few that I am very excited about include our Temple Emanuel and Children's Museum of Greensboro collaborative Hanukkah celebration on December 8, our Kesher Family celebration on December 15, and our Crafts, Cocktails and Convo Hanukkah event for women sponsored by Sisterhood on December 17!

We each bring a spark of light with us and, together, that light is bright. We need you to help light our community bright this Hanukkah season!

Rabbi Amy Hertz

Rabbi Educator