From the JMC Archives:

Chanukah – 5771 – 8 days of practice by Yael Levy
Honoring Two Sides of the Same Moon with Faith by Brian Kaye
Come Light the Menorah… by Alison Laichter

JMC’s Getting in the Mood… for ChanukahWritingMeditation

From around the web:

Defining Hanukkah:  Spiritual vs Political 
Seeking inner light at the darkest time of the year

G-dcast does Chanukah!

Bake Off
Tablet reviews Hanukkah recipe books

Hanukkah and the Olive Harvest
The holiday’s secret “roots” as a harvest festival.  We apologize for the pun.

Hanukkah meditation from Ritualwell
For when eating chocolate money just doesn’t cut it

The Unbearable Dumbness of Dreidel
Tablet’s reconsideration of the philosophical, aesthetic, and moral underpinnings of the ancient past time

A Mystical Message about Hanukkah from Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi
Tuning in to the miraculous order

Hanukkah 2011: Dates, Customs, History
HuffPost’s Hanukkah slide show

TheLightsofChanukah
Rabbi Zachary Shapiro at RJ.org helps interfaith families navigate the holidays

Is There a Right Way to Spell Hanukkah? Chanukah? Hannukah?
Inquiring minds demand an answer!

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Bonus link: TheLeeVees exist.
Trust us on this one.

As the moon arcs its cycle from new moon to full moon, we can notice our own cycles of darkness and light.  The moon has guided our ancestors in the planting, sowing and reaping of their crops and we can be inspired to observe and honor the same cycles which connect us to the natural ebb and flow of life energy.

During the period of a new moon, the sky is dark and we can meditate on emptiness and the fertile ground in which seeds take root; focus on new plans and write them down.  What seeds can you plant to begin the process of moving toward light?  We anticipate the coming of the full moon to see our seeds grow and blossom.  Full moons symbolize completion and fulfillment, the realization of the seed, and they are times of celebration.

The story of the Maccabee’s entering the destroyed Temple in Jerusalem and finding only one cruse of specially prepared olive oil, which would only burn for one day, was not long enough for the seven days required to make the weekly batch of purified oil.  Eager to rededicate (the word chanukah means “dedicate”) the Temple by lighting the menorah, they lighted the one cruse of oil and miraculously, the oil burnt for seven days, the necessary time to make more oil for keeping the menorah lighted.  We begin the holiday by lighting one candle and add an additional candle each night until we have eight candles glowing in the dark; this process is reminiscent of the cycles of the moon as it moves from new to full.  Each day of the holiday, strengthens us to have more light and clarity; similar to the ‘miracle’ of one cruse of oil lasting for seven days until a weeks worth of oil could be prepared,

Often, we believe that when confronted with darkness, we don’t have the resources to persevere through the darkness and reach light.  What darkness are we holding that prevents us from moving toward the light?  Write what you believe to be your obstacles to reaching the light you seek.  Just as the Maccabee’s were certain that the prepared oil would not last, begin to recognize that your ‘certainty’ that you may not have the resources to move through the ‘darkness’ toward the light may be your lack of faith in your abilities.  Similar to the moon moving from new to full, we can take the time of darkness to plant the seeds of commitment and change that we desire and know that as a new moon is followed by a full moon, we may discover that we do have the resources to move toward the light.

One of the beauties of light is that it unfolds to push the darkness away.  Through meditation we can cultivate our light to bring more to the world.  What light will you share with the world?

Make for me a holy place that I might dwell within you,
that I might dwell among you. 
shemot 25:8

Chanukah — A time to for us to remember ourselves as the Mishkan, the dwelling place of the Divine Presence. To remember that all of us are sacred vessels, formed and shaped as we are so our unique light can shine through into the world.

Over the course of the year our vessels become clogged, cracked, torn, and on Chanukah we dedicate ourselves to purifying, cleansing these vessels. The cleansing is not about searching for perfection.  It is about peering into the darkness and seeing what is. Lighting small lights that help us see our vulnerabilities, our fears, our strengths, our joys, our love, our beauty and our pain. Letting the light illuminate whatever is present with gentleness and compassion. The noticing of whatever is the work of purification. We remind ourselves our vessels are whole in their brokenness. And it is the cracks that allow the light to shine through.

We dedicate ourselves to this holy work not just for ourselves but for the sake of the world. We purify our vessels so we are better able to make our lives our offerings— so the work of our hands and the expressions of our hearts can bring forth blessing, healing and love.
Each night and day of Chanukah can offer its own practice. Ideally these practices are done as we sit with the lit candles.

Day 1.  Opening to the mystery. Beyond anything I can know or understand is the mystery of all being. At the heart of all is oneness. 
Sit in silence with the first light. Close your eyes and breath into the light, feel it within your body, reach it with your breath. As the mind wanders we bring our attention gently back to the sensation of light in our body. Nourished by each breath this light fills us and the world.
 
Day 2. Spirit coming into form. The One entering into the many.
Creation. Distinction. Relationship. 
Creating the spaciousness inside ourselves to hold contradiction and paradox with compassion. Sit and aligned with the breath offer the prayer: “I take refuge in the unfolding.”
 
Day 3. The (gesher) bridge that reaches across differences. The way to connection and relationship is  gemilut hasadim, acts of loving kindness. Blessing practice: Sit with the candles and pray for peace, love well being for yourself and 9 other people creating a minyan of blessing.

Day 4. The door of possibilities: Standing on the threshold—looking out, noticing the possibilities, noticing what is opening. Listening for the calls that beckon us forward. Sit with the image of an open door.  Notice what arises on the threshold. Notice the emotions, the thoughts, the images that pass through. Be with the open door.
 
Day 5. The breath, taking in and letting go. Constant change.
Being awake to the moment. Being awake to the movement. Opening to all that passes through, to all that changes from moment to moment.
Sit with the lights and notice your breath. Be present to the movement with each breath, the movement from moment to moment. Let the attention rest gently on each breath, notice the receiving and letting go. The 5th light calls us forward with discernment and patience. Take a breath and consider, what are wise and compassionate choices that I can make?  
 
Day 6. Rosh Hodesh: Connection. Joining. Alignment. Standing as a connective channel between heaven and earth. While the candles are lit do a silent standing meditation. Feet together-arms facing out by our sides. Feel our feet connected to the depths of the earth, our crown open to the heavens. Imagine the light coming through you.  Radiant, warm, glowing light coming through your crown down into your feet. Radiant, warm, glowing light coming up from your feet, filling your body. Light radiating out from your hands and breath into the world.
 
Day 7. Rosh Hodesh: Zeman. Time. The holiest moment is now.
Wonder with gentleness, compassion and curiosity: What do I do with my time? What do I give my hours, days and weeks to? How can I use my time for good? How can I use my time to bring forth well being and joy? Take some time for a practice that opens you to joy and beauty.

Day 8. Chanukah- Rededication: On the eighth night we gaze at the brilliance of the flames and ask ourselves how can I best be of service? What are my gifts, my blessings, my challenges, my passions? And how can I best offer myself for the benefit and well being of all? 

We practice listening, noticing with curiosity and wonder. Sit with the candles and feel yourself in all your glory—in your brokenness, fragility and absolute beauty. With gentleness and love keep bringing you attention back to the breath moving through and within the sacred vessel of your body. We close the sit by giving thanks.
 
Each of us is a dwelling for the sacred. We ask that we recognize the sacred in ourselves and each other and do our best to act from this place of knowing the holiness in ourselves and all creation.  

“Help me make my life a sanctuary in which God dwells with ease and from which my light shines forth for good and blessing for all beings.”

The views expressed by guestbloggers do not necessarily reflect the Jewish Meditation Center of Brooklyn’s positions, interests, strategies or opinions. But that’s what keeps it interesting.

keep it short and sweet (aim for 500 words)

We lit candles on the chanukiah tonight and watched them during our sit. It was incredibly lovely, especially watching them each burn out, one by one, returning us to darkness. I’ve been thinking so much about bringing light into dark places, and yesterday during the practice day with Rabbi Jeff Roth, he brought up something that shifted my thinking: we don’t just light candles to bring light to the darkest time of year; we are also reminding ourselves that we’re in constant motion, things will change, dark leads to light and light to dark, and there’s some comfort in that.

I think the scariest part of feeling lost, anxious, depressed, sad, is that we fear that we’ll feel that way forever. Of course, we know, rationally, that this isn’t going to happen, but in those dark moments, it’s hard to see the light or even the possibility of light. So we light candles and remember our ability to create light, joy, peace, love, and also that darkness precedes light and light goes to dark and back again.

We learn in the Chanukah story that even the holiest place, the Temple, could be desecrated, that the eternal light can go out. How heartbreaking that must have been for the people of that time. And, if that’s possible, what are the chances that our fragile, human hearts could ever stay whole and holy for our whole lives? Just like the Maccabees rededicated the Temple and searched through the rubble for light, I’m using this holiday of Chanukah (dedication) to excavate my own heart and life, rededicating myself to creating within my heart a dwelling place for holiness.

May our practice be a source of light, as we search through our own rubble and rededicate ourselves, and may our practice also light us from within and allow us to radiate outwards, during the darkest time of the year and always, bringing light and peace to ourselves and the entire world

Last night we had our “Getting in the Mood for Chanukah” workshop with an amazing group of people with inspiring insights. We had a short sit, a teaching about the holiday, a guided meditation and then a writing meditation exercise. Just in case you couldn’t join us but would like to get in the mood for the festival of lights, here’s the writing meditation that you can do on your own:

Writing Meditation on Dedication, Light, and Miracles

When we sit in meditation, we remind ourselves that when our mind wanders, we bring it back to the sensation of breathing, or to whatever we’ve decided to concentrate on (awareness, prayer, etc). In this writing exercise, use the act of writing as your meditation- sit for a few moments looking at the questions below, and then begin writing. Give yourself as much time as you’d like (we used 20 minutes, but for some people that might not be enough time) to not take your pen off the paper, writing continuously. If your attention is distracted bring yourself back to your writing.

Just as the Maccabbees rededicated the Temple, looked through the rubble, found
light, and excavated the place to hold holiness, look into your own heart and ask

1. What needs repair?
2. What requires renewal?
3. What brings light to my life?
4. What can I do to kindle and cultivate that light?
5. What is holding me back?
6. What miracles have I experienced during difficult times?
7. What miracles am I currently trying to cultivate in my life?
8. What actions can I take to bring about miracles in my life?
9. What actions can I take to bring about miracles in the lives of people I love?
10. What actions can I take to bring about miracles in the lives of strangers?

הכונח חמס  Happy Chanukah!