The Festival of Lights
Hanukkah challenges the assumption that truth belongs to the powerful. It is a festival of quiet resistance, where a small flame confronts overwhelming darkness. The miracle lies not only in the oil, but in the refusal to surrender meaning to force, expediency, or historical inevitability. By kindling light that we are meant to see, but not make use of, Hanukkah affirms that faith is maintained by those willing to protect vulnerability rather than impose certainty.
25 Kislev 5787 – 2 Tevet 5787
Begins at Sundown on Friday, December 4, 2026
Ends at Nightfall on Saturday, December 12, 2026
By Yael Shahar
To the question “What is Hanukkah?” the Talmud doesn't give us the answer we expect. We're told only that when the victorious Maccabees rededicated the Temple, the sole remaining jar of ritually pure olive oil for the menorah sufficed for eight days. Why no mention of the military victory over vastly superior forces and the resurrection of an independent Jewish state? Why does the Talmud leave so much out?
In Halacha, The Jewish Year and Hanukkah
One of the great problems any religious person should struggle with is whether it is actually possible to be religious. In fact, what is the essence of genuine religiosity? The concept at the root of all religions is the awareness that it is extremely difficult to live up to the awe of the moment. The famous dispute regarding the order of lighting the Chanukah lights illuminates a practical approach to this issue.