Find more Hanukkah Candle Lighting Intentions from the RA’s “8 Nights of Kavvanot.”
The Chanukkiah we kindle at home is closely related to the Menorah the Maccabees lit when they regained the holy temple. Only, our Chanukkiah has one extra candle, its eighth, to indicate that its sacred light, the light of the spirit, transcends the cycle of ordinary, weekly time.
The TorahRefers to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, also called the Five Books of Moses, Pentateuch or the Hebrew equivalent, Humash. This is also called the Written Torah. The term may also refer to teachings that expound on Jewish tradition. instructs Aaron, who was responsible for the Menorah, to ‘cause its lamps to ascend.’ On Chanukkah we mark our inheritance of this commandment.
The lights of our Chanukkiah, placed in our windows, shining out over the public domain, affirm our determination to keep the flames of faith in the ascendant, however dark the surrounding world. We rekindle in ourselves and each other the lights of hope and courage, and recommit ourselves to creating a world more just, compassionate and true.
