Help Us Increase the Light of This Season As we enter the winter season, each of the upcoming festivals—Chanukah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa—reminds us of a shared call: to increase the light.  In the Talmud, an expansive collection of Jewish wisdom, the rabbis debate how to light the Chanukah menorah. Should we begin with eight candles and decrease each night or should we begin with one candle and increase the light? Ultimately, the law follows the teaching of the great first century sage...

A Season of Gratitude and Shared Legacy “Thank you” is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding.  — Alice Walker   At the end of this month, our nation will pause for Thanksgiving — a time to reflect on gratitude, connection, and shared purpose. While the origins of the holiday were shaped by exclusion, today both the African American and Jewish communities embrace this season as an opportunity to honor their...

Sweetness from Beginning to the End   October opens with sweetness and hope for the Jewish community. On September 23, Jews around the world welcomed the Jewish New Year by dipping apples in honey—a symbolic act that gives physical form to their prayers for a good and sweet year ahead. The tradition of dipping challah (bread) in honey continues through mid-October, culminating in the celebration of Sukkot, the Jewish harvest festival, which ends on October 13. The month concludes with another...