The Greatest Chanukkah Gift This Year? Each Other!
Posted on 12/18/2020 @ 05:00 AM
“The Chanukah series made the Festival of Lights even brighter for me this year. I attended every class and was inspired by the teaching. Lighting the menorah with so many people at the end of each session was so meaningful and the glow from all the lights warmed my spirit.”
This past week, over 150 adult learners participated in the Light of Jewish Learning Shines Community Chanukah series. The Department of Adult Learning & Growth, in partnership with the Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami, hosted the series in memory of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, former chief rabbi of Great Britain, who passed away on November 7, 2020. Rabbi Sacks was an incredible intellect who believed deeply in the power of Jewish education. He was a source of inspiration for so many around the world.
Rabbi Norman Lipson, Dr. Sandra Lilienthal and Rabbi Ed Farber, represented the Melton & More faculty, and community rabbis, Rabbi Ben Herman, Rabbi Cheryl Weiner and Rabbi Fred Klein, all offered daily learning sessions which incorporated the teachings of Rabbi Sacks with the themes of Chanukah.
One of the teachers expressed after the session: “This was such a great idea! I loved watching everyone light their menorahs and joining together in offering the blessings after studying together. I was honored to be part of it.”
The Department of Adult Learning & Growth prepared and distributed a Chanukah resource packet with the Chanukah blessings and a Rabbi Sacks teaching to accompany each candle lighting. The week-long series was free of charge and open to all.
Rabbi Sacks taught, “There always were two ways to live in a world that is often dark and full of tears. We can curse the darkness or we can light a light, and even a little light drives out much darkness. May we all help light up the world.”
This week, the light of community and the light of learning shone brightly, casting a beautiful glow that could even be felt through our computer screens. May this Chanukah season remind us that even in times of darkness, each of us has the power to be a source of light.
