Did you know that the rabbis insist that even if all other festivals were annulled, Hanukkah and Purim would still remain?  Why?  Because Israel merited these festivals; the others were simply given to them.

How do some communities make what they have merited extend even further?  Sephardi communities in Yerushalayim arrange for joint meals to be arranged during the Festival of Light. Friends who quarreled during the year are reconciled at shared Hanukkah meals.

Hanukkah is about rededication.  May we rededicate ourselves to friends, family, and community — to our charge in the world, and to its healing.

Hag sameach!

Rabbi Barbara