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Chanukah – December 2024
Dear Members of our Congregation Yemei Teshuva Community:
Very often, especially as this time of the year approaches, I am asked the same two questions: When does Chanukah occur? and What is the “correct” way of spelling the holiday?
This year, in particular, the first night of Chanukah falls on December 25th and coincides with Christmas. It is unusual because the beginning of Chanukah and Christmas rarely overlap. In fact, in the last century, the first night of Chanukah has fallen on December 25th in 1910, 1921, 1959, 2005 and now in 2024. The next time that this will take place will be in 2035 and in 2054!!
As with all our Jewish holidays and festivals, they occur at various times in each season because the Jewish and Gregorian calendars do not “align”. Our Jewish calendar is based on the lunar months, which are either twenty-nine or thirty days. The Gregorian 365-day calendar is solar based with either thirty or thirty-one days each month. So, on our secular calendar, Chanukah can fall any time between November 27th and December 26th.
The festival of Chanukah, as we all know, celebrates the victory of the Maccabees and the restoration of religious pluralism in ancient Israel. The Rabbis of the Talmud wanted to downplay the militaristic aspect of the festival introducing the famous story/legend of the oil for the Menorah lasting miraculously for eight days until more could be refined.
The word “CHANUKAH”, which literally means “dedication” (referring to the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem) is a Hebrew word that can be transliterated into English in various different ways: Hannukah/Hanukkah/Chanukah/Channukah are just a few. However it is transliterated, the meaning is still the same!
Truth be told, although Chanukah is considered to be a “minor” festival in the Jewish year, nevertheless, along with Passover, it is probably the MOST celebrated holiday amongst Jews especially in America. In part, because of its juxtaposition to the Christmas season and all of the commercialization we experience at this time of the year.
With that said, the theme and message of our Chanukah celebration resonates each year. As the days become shorter and darker with the winter season ahead, Chanukah brings light, hope, resilience and redemption into our hearts and into our lives. Especially this year, given all that we have been experiencing worldwide, that spirit of hope is a much-needed message that rings loud in our ears.
SO…whenever it occurs and however you chose to spell it, my wish and my prayer is that this season of gratitude, light and faith will bring warmth, comfort and hope into our lives, our homes and amongst our family and friends!
Rabbi Scott L. Shpeen
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Passover – April 2024
It is hard to believe that in just a few short weeks, we will be gathering with family and friends to celebrate the joyous festival of Passover. For so many of us, Passover holds fond and special memories from our childhood, raising our families and Seders marked with those closest and dearest to us. These memories evoke bittersweet emotions this time of the year as we reflect upon those no longer at our Seder table, but whose memory and legacy will forever be a part of our family tradition, as well as a new generation with new smiles, new questions and new memories to treasure. Passover is truly a holiday which marks L’dor va Dor, the generations of the fabric of our lives.
Passover is a home based, experiential holiday which, in many ways, marks the uniqueness of the festival. We are commanded to feel as if we, too, were slaves in Egypt to then taste the joy of newfound freedom. As we hear our youngsters ask the question, “Mah Nishtana: Why is this night different than all others?”, the entire narrative which follows instructs us as to the symbols, rituals and important messages embedded in this wonderful holiday.
This year, in particular, especially given all that we have experienced since we gathered together during the High Holy Days last fall, the messages of Passover truly resonate. We read in the Haggadah, “In every generation, there will arise an enemy to destroy us”. From Pharoah to Hitler to Hamas, we are keenly aware of the fragility of life and the vulnerability we face as Jews. Perhaps this year, as our joy is diminished with each drop of wine taken from our Kiddush cup (to symbolize the plagues upon Egypt), our gladness this season is also diminished by the War in Gaza and the hostages yet to remain free as well as the innocent suffering due to the ongoing strife.
Why IS this night different than all others? Because this year our hearts are heavy because of the reality of the world in which we are now living, the anti-Semitism that has become rampant, especially on college campuses and the growing threat to all that we hold to be sacred.
But, as in generations past when our ancestors faced similar hardships and difficult times, we cling to the eternal hope that freedom, justice, equality and the inherent goodness in humanity will triumph over evil and hatred. This is the message of our Passover season. This is the message that we pray will ring loud from our Seder tables.
L’shanah haba B’Yerushalayim: “Next Year In Jerusalem” is the age old hope with which we conclude our Seder ceremony expressing that very same sentiment. Despite all that we are facing in the world today, there is always the possibility of redemption, of working to make this world a better place for all.
Chag Samayach with wishes for a happy, healthy and sweet Pesach!!
Rabbi Scott Shpeen
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