Tonight we light the full Chanukah menorah – all eight candles plus the shamash (the helper candle). Jewish homes everywhere will be filled with light.
We received so many beautiful Chanukah messages last week, and we are so grateful for all the words of Torah and good wishes from every corner of the globe. We waited until today to send you Chanukah greetings so we could capture that feeling of our people totally bathed in light. Take a picture of the full menorah and post it on your favorite social media outlet. Take a mental picture and save it in your mind and in your hearts.
We have brought so much light into the world this past year. From the rescue and humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, to the new olim coming from Ethiopia, to all the families that Federations have helped educate, care for, and connect to the Jewish community, there is so much for which we are proud and grateful. We know that we will need the inspiration of the full menorah as we confront the continued toll of the war, the rise in antisemitism, and so many other challenges in the coming year. Keep that picture of your house full of light close at hand during all the many community meetings and fundraising campaigns that lie ahead.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z’’l pointed out that the word Chanukah stems from the word chanuch, meaning re-dedication. Chanuch, he noted, closely resembles the word chinuch, meaning education. “What we re-dedicated,” Rabbi Sacks wrote, “was not a physical building – the Temple – but living embodiments of Judaism, namely our children, our students, the people to whom we teach and hand on our heritage and values.” In this sense, the Festival of Lights is about the perpetuation of Jewish life and the Jewish spirit—the same mission that motivates and inspires all of us to do our sacred work.
In the last two months, we have been blessed to see so many of you in person at the 2022 General Assembly in Chicago and the International Lion of Judah Conference in Phoenix. In each case, over a thousand of our top leaders recommitted themselves to the collective work of Jewish continuity and communal responsibility. And we are looking forward to gathering again in just a few months for the special Israel at 75 General Assembly, April 23-26, 2023, which will enable us to observe both Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’Atzmaut in the Jewish State during its milestone 75th anniversary. You can register here.
May our menorahs always be full, our lights shine bright, and our deeds not only meet the challenges of the moment but also be deserving of the both the chanuch – the rededication – and the chinuch – the education – that we have all just experienced these past eight days.
Looking forward to working with you all in 2023,
Julie Platt and Eric Fingerhut