A Chanukah Message from Rabbi Michael Bernstein

The special Chanukah addition to the prayers, “For the Miracles” (Al haNisim), is inserted in the section in which we speak our gratitude several times every day. So, while Chanukah is obviously a time for remembering the miraculous, it is also a time for appreciating the everyday blessings that can be seen as miracles. And eight, as the number that is the foundation of the celebration, is a number that symbolizes taking that perfect divine number 7 (days of creation, Shabbat, the branches of the Temple Menorah) and adding one more to make it our own. So, on Chanukah I look at what human beings have made that are extensions of the miracles provided to us by G*d. I am thankful for my family and the people close to me, for our lives and well-being. For having the ability to be part of the human experience and find meaning in a chaotic world. For the scientific advancements that include the ability to fight the kind of plague that in the past would be even more devastating than the one we face today.  I am thankful to be Jewish, part of a history — and a present — that teaches us how to find holiness in what is around us. Thankful to live in a country where our very existence and survival, let alone freedom of thought and expression, are possible in a way different than so many who live under brutality and oppression. I am thankful to live at a time in which Jews live in our land, the state of Israel, founded on our historical legacy and the words of the prophets. Finally, I am grateful for being part of my own Gesher L’Torah community, to serve as a spiritual leader of a congregation seeking to find personal meaning and inspiration in Judaism and in our own lives.

Happy Chanukah!

Rabbi Michael Bernstein is a rabbi at Congregation Gesher L’Torah.

Get The AJT Newsletter by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up