Rabbi's Blog

Shalom all,

On Hanukkah, we ponder the light of the candles. After the ritual candle lighting, we traditionally recite "Hanerot Halalu," which contains the words, “We don’t use these lights, we only gaze upon them”. We are prohibited to use the candle light for anything but meditative, sacred purpose. Why?

As we gaze upon the Hanukkah lights, we have the opportunity to absorb their soulful, inner wisdom. Rebbe Nahman of Breslov, writes, "We must always focus on the inner intelligence of every matter, and bind ourselves to the wisdom and inner intelligence that is to be found in each thing – so that the intelligence which is in each thing may enlighten us...Inner wisdom is a great light that shines for us in all our ways. As it is written, 'Wisdom makes our face shine' (Ecclesiastes 8:1)." God’s presence can be found in all things – every day in every way – when we pause to allow ourselves the spiritual gift of reflection.

This Hanukkah, after we light our candles, let’s remember to gaze upon those lights, absorb their inner wisdom, and allow our own our inner light to shine! May we journey through our holy days with intentionality, curiosity, love, and kindness.

Wishing us all a happy and meaningful Hanukkah,

Rabbi Teller

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“How to” Hanukkah
Every holiday has special rituals and ways for families to interact and learn. Stay tuned as we gradually add more holidays to our new "How to" pages.

First up, access our special Hanukkah page at “How to” Hanukkah.