Hanukkah
- 25 Kislev-2 Tevet
By RABBI DAVID ROSENN
Shabbat candles are inner-directed: they light our homes.
Hanukkah candles are outer-directed: they publicize the miracle of Hanukkah. If
we’re forced to prioritize, we should choose Shabbat candles. Why should we
care for ourselves before others?
By RABBI BRADLEY SHAVIT ARTSON
Being a Maccabee means summoning the dedication necessary to
win after the fighting stops. We must cleanse our society as we cleansed our
Temple.
Hillel provides an informative resource guide that enables college
students to integrate tzedek/social justice
programming with Chanukah. Latkes and gift-sharing are fun, but if you’re planning
to be on campus during Chanukah, pass out copies of Hillel’s CASE
It! 8 Days, 8 Ways to Celebrate Chanukah and Save Energy. Spread the word
and the light (energy efficient and cost effective CFLs, of course), about environmental
issues.
The Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism’s Guide for
Chanukah elucidates four social justice issues connected with the Festival of Lights:
the Environment, Economic Justice, Children (including child slavery and poverty),
and Religious Freedom, and suggests related programs and activities.
The URJ’s Commission also is promoting Ner Shel Tzedakah (“candle of righteousness”), a project in which
families and individuals devote the 6th night of Hanukkah to learning about the
problem of poverty. Participants donate the value of the gifts (or the gifts
themselves) that they would otherwise exchange on that night to organizations
that assist the poor. This year, the 6th night of Chanukah falls on Sunday,
December 9th, 2007.
"There is nothing in the world more grievous than poverty—the
most terrible of sufferings."
—Midrash Exodus Rabbah 31:12
As Jews, we are obligated to insure that workers are treated
justly. There are numerous connections between Fair Trade (a movement that promotes
economic partnerships based on equality, justice, and sustainable agricultural practices)
and Jewish values. Fair Trade Judaica, a recently launched website and volunteer
effort, provides information on the benefits of supporting fair trade and a list
of Judaica products developed through legitimate fair trade channels. This Chanukah,
try a bag of Divine Chocolate gelt, which
uses large amounts of cocoa from Ghana in a fair trade agreement. One side of the
coin reads "Ghana Freedom and Justice"; the other says, "Fair Deal
for Cocoa Growers."
The Earth is hurtling toward a warmer climate at an alarming
pace, a Nobel-winning UN scientific panel warned recently. The potential impact
of global warming is "so severe and so sweeping that only urgent, global action
will do," said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon Ban. Unless immediate action
is taken, human activity could lead to "abrupt and irreversible changes,"
especially for poor populations, that would make the planet unrecognizable.
“Judaism has moral authority in the
American imagination, providing Jewish leaders an opportunity to make a moral case
for environmental protection before the nation at-large.”
—COEJL
What can we do? COEJL (Coalition on the Environment
and Jewish Life) recommends 3 ways to be a Light Among the
Nations this Hanukkah: Save Energy, Impact Policy, Make a Communal Statement.
Act now on their specific suggestions! And commit to The Shalom Center’s Eight Days of Hanukkah, Eight Actions
to Heal the Earth—personal, communal, and political—part of the Center’s Green
Menorah Covenant on climate crisis. During the holiday, participate in International Climate Action Day
on December 8, and help make our planet's Hanukkah a happy one!
What are you doing on the 8th Night of Hanukkah?
Consider donating a year’s worth of books for
Ethiopian-Israeli school children for only $36! Last year, the North American
Conference on Ethiopian Jewry (NACOEJ)
provided books for over 1,000 Ethiopian-Israeli elementary school children
through this holiday appeal. Find out how.
