Posts tagged ‘Chanukah’

Al Hanism, 5784

On Hanukkah it’s traditional to add Al Hanisim, “About the Miracles,” to the Amidah and the Grace after Meals. How do we praise God’s miracles in…

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Coaxing Miracles

For the last night of Hanukkah, a meditation on small miracles. Coaxing Miracles Miracles Can start out as Tiny things. Specks of G-d’s love Floating all…

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Meditation for the End of Chanukah

After the eight days — after the Eternal Lamp stayed alight for eight days on one day of oil — the rededicated Temple was back in…

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Praise, Praise

A hallelujah song, with two acrostic paragraphs each spelling the word ‘praise.’ It’s also a salute to the psalms of praise in Jewish liturgy known as…

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The Season of Dedication

When the Maccabees finally won back the Temple for the Jewish people, it took eight days to clean and consecrate the holy space. Chanukah derives from…

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Ma’oz Tzur for Pittsburgh

This prayer/poem rendition of Ma’oz Tzur anticipates the contrasting emotions of a joyous festival against the backdrop of the largest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. Ma’oz…

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