Chanukah and Tefila!

I get emotional around this time of year, I admit it.  Chanukah was our family holiday, when we got together to kindle the Chanukah lights as a family, or at least whoever was around.  We wouldn’t do much, maybe sing a little and eat some latkas and stuff, but the main thing was the togetherness and warmth.  It also happens to be my birthday (second night of Chanukah).  So, like Pesach and the other festivals, it was a family thing.  Lots of water under the bridge since then, a long time and a huge physical distance, but Chanukah is still all about light and warmth.  It’s in the soul; the Chanukah lights symbolize chochma, or the spiritual wisdom that rises above everyday life.  It’s in space, since the Chanukah lights are placed where they can light up the public arena.  And it’s in time, since Chanukah flows over into the coldest winter days of the year, to warm them up.  Chanukah is also about miracles, that inform us how to connect with something  beyond ourselves.  How?  That’s the subject of this weeks “Tefila tip,” the third in the series.  It’s all about making tefila light up your day.  To see how, go to our blog, at www.jerusalemconnection.org/weekly.  And if that only stimulates your appetite for more meditation and spirituality, have a look at www.jewishspiritualbooks.com where you can browse and buy our suite of Jewish spiritual books.  Finally to get in tune with Chanukah in Jerusalem, check out www.chabadjerusalem.org   Chanukah sameach, Happy Chanukah!