Hanukkah Nights
A text, insight, and discussion question for each night of Hanukkah.
Download a PDF of these texts with the blessings and songs for lighting the Hanukkah candles.
First night: Rabbi David Hoffman
Our rabbis taught: when the first man saw the daylight hours were becoming shorter and shorter, he said, “Woe is me! Perhaps because I have sinned, the world is becoming dark around me and is returning to chaos. This is the death sentence declared upon me by Heaven!” He sat for eight days in fasting and prayer. After the winter solstice when he saw the days becoming longer and longer, he said, “This is simply the way of the world!” He went and made an eight-day festival (BT Avodah Zarah 8a).
转”专: 诇驻讬 砖专讗讛 讗讚诐 讛专讗砖讜谉 讬讜诐 砖诪转诪注讟 讜讛讜诇讱, 讗诪专: 讗讜讬诇讬, 砖诪讗 讘砖讘讬诇 砖住专讞转讬 注讜诇诐 讞砖讜讱 讘注讚讬 讜讞讜讝专 诇转讜讛讜 讜讘讜讛讜, 讜讝讜 讛讬讗 诪讬转讛 砖谞拽谞住讛 注诇讬 诪谉 讛砖诪讬诐, 注诪讚 讜讬砖讘 讞’ 讬诪讬诐 讘转注谞讬转 [讜讘转驻诇讛], 讻讬讜谉 砖专讗讛 转拽讜驻转 讟讘转 讜专讗讛 讬讜诐 砖诪讗专讬讱讜讛讜诇讱, 讗诪专: 诪谞讛讙讜 砖诇 注讜诇诐 讛讜讗, 讛诇讱 讜注砖讛 砖诪讜谞讛 讬诪讬诐 讟讜讘讬诐.
Hanukkah has, in its distant past, the most universal of messages. It is a holiday about experiencing fear, vulnerability, and darkness and not being consumed. It is a holiday that reminds us that light and security will return again, as sure as we know darkness will return. These are the cycles of life. The challenge is remembering that the darkness will, in fact, retreat. So this too, like the story of the oil, is a story of profound faith. (Read the full commentary.)
What can each of us do so that we are not consumed by our fears?
Second night: Rabbi Matthew Berkowitz, Director of Israel Programs
To whom may Abraham be likened? To a king’s friend, who saw the king walking about in dark alleys and began lighting the way for him through a window. When the king looked up and saw him, he said: instead of lighting the way for me from a distance, come out and light the way for me in my very presence. So too did God say to Abraham (Genesis Rabbah 30:10).
诇诪讛 讗讘专讛诐 讚讜诪讛 诇讗讜讛讘讜 砖诇 诪诇讱, 砖专讗讛 讗转 讛诪诇讱 诪讛诇讱 讘诪讘讜讗讜转 讛讗驻诇讬诐, 讛爪讬抓 讗讜讛讘讜 讜讛转讞讬诇 诪讗讬专 注诇讬讜讚专讱 讛讞诇讜谉, 讛爪讬抓 讛诪诇讱 讜专讗讛 讗讜转讜, 讗诪专 诇讜 注讚 砖讗转讛 诪讗讬专 诇讬 讚专讱 讞诇讜谉, 讘讗 讜讛讗讬专 诇驻谞讬, 讻讱 讗诪专 讛拽讘”讛 诇讗讘专讛诐.
Abraham, a human being, leads the way for God. He walks before God and creates his own light before God. That is the truest light of redemption鈥攚hen we as human beings light the way for God. (Read the full commentary.)
What can we do to 鈥渓ight the way鈥� towards a better world?
Third Night: Rabbi Mychal Springer
The House of Shammai say: on the first day [of Hanukkah] one lights eight, from then on, one fewer each day. And the House of Hillel say: on the first day one lights one, from then on, one more each day (BT Shabbat 21a)
讘讬转 砖诪讗讬 讗讜诪专讬诐: 讬讜诐 专讗砖讜谉 诪讚诇讬拽 砖诪谞讛, 诪讻讗谉 讜讗讬诇讱 驻讜讞转 讜讛讜诇讱; 讜讘讬转 讛诇诇 讗讜诪专讬诐: 讬讜诐 专讗砖讜谉 诪讚诇讬拽 讗讞转, 诪讻讗谉 讜讗讬诇讱 诪讜住讬祝 讜讛讜诇讱.
For many of us who suffer鈥� the reality of darkness can鈥檛 be ignored 鈥� In being with one another in community and not being abandoned in darkness, new possibilities do emerge. In a sense, we need both the descent into darkness of Beit Shammai and the ascent into light of Beit Hillel to come together in our hearts to make a whole that is Hanukkah. (Watch the video.)
What can you do to support people close to you who are struggling?
Fourth Night: Rabbi Judith Hauptman, E. Billi Ivry Professor of Talmud and Rabbinic Culture
Our Rabbis teach: it is appropriate to place the Hanukkah lamp outside one鈥檚 door. If one lives in an upper storey, one places it at the window facing a public thoroughfare. (BT Shabbat 21b)
转谞讜 专讘谞谉: 谞专 讞谞讜讻讛 诪爪讜讛 诇讛谞讬讞讛 注诇 驻转讞 讘讬转讜 诪讘讞讜抓. 讗诐 讛讬讛 讚专 讘注诇讬讬讛 诪谞讬讞讛 讘讞诇讜谉 讛住诪讜讻讛 诇专砖讜转 讛专讘讬诐.
The social and religious context in which Jews lived had an impact on the development of Jewish ritual. 鈥� Jews lived in Babylonia amongst Zoroastrians and a central feature of the Zoroastrian religion is holy fire, especially visible at this dark time of year. It is very likely that the Rabbis who developed the rules of the public display of Hanukkah lamps wanted to make sure that Jews were not drawn to the Zoroastrian fire celebrations and were lighting the Hanukkah lamps. (Watch the video.)
How can we ensure that Hanukkah measures up to other seasonal holidays?
Fifth Night: Rabbi Sarit Horwitz, The Rabbinical School (Class of 2015)
Rashi on 鈥�outside鈥� (from yesterday鈥檚 text): In order to publicize the miracle.
诪讘讞讜抓: 诪砖讜诐 驻专住讜诪讬 谞讬住讗.
The underlying message of that miracle is actually about the ability to practice an uninhibited Judaism, a type of religious expression that鈥檚 unhindered by both outside powers and internal self-consciousness. 鈥� It鈥檚 good to be different. It鈥檚 good to publicize your individuality and be proud of traditions that not everyone might have. And that鈥檚 a message we should definitely share with our neighbors. (Watch the video.)
What Jewish traditions or values do you want to share with your neighbors?
Sixth Night: Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, RABBI HERMAN ABRAMOVITZ PROFESSOR OF JEWISH HISTORY AND CHANCELLOR EMERITUS
This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel [the leader of the puny band of exiles who returned in 537 B.C.E. from Babylon to found what would become the Second Jewish Commonwealth]: Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit鈥攕aid the Lord of Hosts (Zech. 4:6).
讜址讬旨址注址谉 讜址讬旨止讗诪侄专 讗值诇址讬 诇值讗诪止专 讝侄讛 讚旨职讘址专-讛’ 讗侄诇-讝职专只讘旨指讘侄诇 诇值讗诪止专 诇止讗 讘职讞址讬执诇 讜职诇止讗 讘职讻止讞址 讻旨执讬 讗执诐-讘旨职专讜旨讞执讬 讗指诪址专 讛’ 爪职讘指讗讜止转.
In the long run, Jewish survival is not a matter of military might or political sagacity, important as they both are, but an inner resolve that springs from faith. And it is to drive home that fundamental lesson of Jewish history that the rabbis chose to read the words of the prophet Zechariah on the Shabbat of Hanukkah. (Read the full commentary.)
What do you think sustains the Jewish people? Faith? Something else?
Seventh Night: Professor Arnold M. Eisen, Chancellor and Professor of Jewish Thought
[A] frank appraisal of the periods in which Judaism flourished will indicate that not only did a certain amount of assimilation and acculturation not impede Jewish continuity, but that in a profound sense, this assimilation and acculturation was a stimulus to original thinking and expression, a source of renewed vitality. (Chancellor Gerson Cohen, 锄鈥漧, 鈥淭he Blessing of Assimilation in Jewish History鈥�)
The Hanukkah story is the perfect stimulus for such reflections, especially when read, as some historians do, not as a conflict between Jews and a tyrannical government, but as a dispute among Jews themselves over which Greek customs are acceptable and which cross the line to assimilation or apostasy. (Read the full commentary.)
Where have you seen assimilation or acculturation provide 鈥渞enewed vitality鈥� to Judaism?
Eighth Night: Dr. Benjamin D. Sommer, Professor of Bible and Semitic Languages
讛值谉 讘旨职讻指诇 讚旨讜止专 / 讬指拽讜旨诐 讛址讙执讘旨讜止专 / 讙旨讜止讗值诇 讛指注指诐. / 砖职诪址注! 讘址旨讬指诪执讬诐 讛指讛值诐 讘址旨讝职诪址谉 讛址讝侄讛! / 诪址讻旨址讘执讬 诪讜止砖执讬注址 讜旨驻讜止讚侄讛!
See, in every generation / A hero arises / Who saves the nation. / Listen! In those days in this season! / The Maccabee was a savior, a redeemer! (Zionist Hanukkah song by Menashe Rabina)
In every age a hero or sage / Arose to our aid. / Hark! In days of yore in Israel’s ancient land / Brave Maccabeus led the faithful band. (English adaptation of the same song by Judith K. Eisenstein, published in Union Songster : Songs and Prayers for Jewish Youth, New York, 1960)
[T]he song puts him [Judah Maccabee] next to a sage, and it mentions his followers’ faith as prominently as his own bravery. 鈥� The contrast between these two songs encapsulates a debate between two views not only of Hanukkah but of Judaism and of Jewish history. (Read the full commentary.)
What do you value in a leader? Might and bravery? Knowledge and faith? Something else?
