5769 / 2008 Sarah Yehudit Schneider There is no person or nation that does not have at least a miniscule sliver of holiness. Otherwise it could not exist. Life is a priori evidence of the presence of G-d. And if G-d is present then there is also at least a miniscule sliver of truth for the Talmud declares: “HaShem’s signature is truth.”1 And so the Midrash concurs: “If a person asserts that there is wisdom among the nations, believe them. Yet, if he contends that there is Tor

A Chanukka Teaching 2011Based on R. Tsadok Hakohen, Pri Tsadik – Chanukka #1Sarah Yehudit Schneider A favorite job of the kohanim (Temple priests) was to daily light the menorah in the inner courtyard. And the midrash reports that HaShem promised Aharon that even if the Temple were destroyed and all the other offerings ceased, the mitzvah of kindling the menorah would endure for all time. [BR 15:6] This obviously presaged the festival of Chanukka, for since the time of the Ma

Chanukka, 2012 / 5773 Inspired by R. Tsadok HaKohen, Resisei Laila, 56 and 57 Sarah Yehudit Schneider Hillel says to start with one candle and add another each day until, at the end, there’s eight…Shammai says to start with eight and remove one each day until, at the end, we’re left with one….[TB Shabbat 21b][1] Now, we rule like Hillel, but in the messianic days-to-come we will rule like Shammai [Mikdash HaMelek, Parshat Bereshit 17b; R. Tsadok HaKohen, Chanukka 8] “The era

Hanukkah holds the secret of how to survive exile and how to accomplish the purpose of it. And that brings us to the paradox of “isolation and integration”.

by Sarah Yehudit Schneider In Jewish symbology, the masculine archetype conflates with the sun and the feminine with the moon. Based on this equation the Ari maps out a seven-stage sequence from waning to waxing—from diminishment to fullness of stature—that is the secret (and the prototype) of the archetypal feminine. Our messianic goal, says the Ari, is for he and she “to become completely equal.”[1] These teachings apply on every scale, from the inner feminine inside us all

When is the time for lighting Chanukka candles? The earliest (and preferable) time is sunset but one can still fulfill the mitzvah until pedestrians disappear from the street. [TB Shabbat 21b] מצותה משתשקע החמה עד שתכלה רגל מן השוק. Everyone knows that Chanukka celebrates our victory over Greek tyranny, and the miracle of oil which burned for eight days. In remembrance of these wondrous events the rabbis instituted the holiday of Chanukka, observed by lighting candles in ou

Chanukka (2015 / 5776) Sarah Yehudit SchneiderBased on teachings by R. Tsadok HaKohen[1] and R. Yitzchak Ginsburgh[2] …הַנֵּרוֹת הַלָּלוּ קֹדֶשׁ הֵם. וְאֵין לָנוּ רְשׁוּת לְהִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בָּהֶם. אֶלָּא לִרְאוֹתָם בִּלְבָד. כְּדֵי לְהוֹדוֹת וּלְהַלֵּל לְשִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל עַל נִסֶּיךָ וְעַל נִפְלְאוֹתֶיךָ וְעַל יְשׁוּעָתֶךָ: … These [Chanukha] lights are holy. We are not permitted to make use of them rather only to gaze at them—to awaken gratitude and praise for Your miracles,

Chanukka 2016 / 5777 Sarah Yehudit Schneider Make a menorah out of pure gold. The menorah shall be formed by hammering. Its base, stem, and [decorative] cups, spheres and flowers must be beaten out of a [single piece of gold]. Six branches shall extend from [the central shaft that serves as its seventh]…The whole thing shall be hammered out of a single piece of pure gold….[Ex. 25:31-36] Everyone knows that when the Maccabees wrested the Temple back from its Greek occupiers,

This Chanukka teaching is dedicated to Yaku, daughter of Heltcha: “Thank you for sharing your light with this world. May blessings of love and healing always be with you on your journeys.” …Karin Chanukka 2017/5778 Sarah Yehudit Schneider The candles of Chanukka are different from those of other special days. On Chanukah the candles are the essence of the day, its central (and only) mitzvah. On Shabbat and festivals the candles are auxiliary to the main rituals specified for

Chanukka 5779 / 2018 Sarah Yehudit Schneider It can happen that when something is deeply true, it transcends itself and enters the category of archetype. Its lessons then apply to things that have nothing (apparently) to do with its story, yet it provides the template for making sense of those other things because, beneath the surface, they actually do share a common root. So it goes for Chanukka which celebrates our Maccabean victory and the miracle of oil that enshrined ou

Chanukka teachings over the years (2008-present).

Inspired by R. Rafael Moshe Luria [1a]Chanukka 5780 / 2019 Sarah Yehudit Schneider “All our holy days will be nullified in messianic times, except for Chanukka and Purim.”[Ateret Zekaynim on Shulchan Aruch, siman 675, citing Maharshal][1] What an odd assertion, since Chanukka and Purim are only of rabbinic origin, whereas Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot etc. are instituted by the Torah itself, which (being of Divine origin) is the ultimate authority. And what does it mean that they

Chanukka 5781 / 2020 שע”כ קראו לימים האלה חנוכה שהוא חינוך והרגל לגאולה העתידה ב”בThis holiday is called Chanukka because it is training (chinukh) and practice for the future redemption.[1] So the question becomes…What do we know about the future redemption? And how does Chanukka prepare us for that? Background Our Messianic era is characterized by messianic consciousness, and the biggest clue we have as to what that looks like is its paradisiac prototype—Gan Eden. Though, ac

Chanukka 5782 / 2021Sarah Yehudit SchneiderBased on R. Tsadok HaKohen, Resisei Layla, 57 ועל ידי כח זה שבכנסת ישראל שרוצים להחזיר גם כוחות העמים לקדושה על ידי כח זה (דאת זה לעומת זה עשה ﭏהים) נתעורר באומות הכח והרצון לגזור שמד חס ושלום על ישראל להחזיר אדרבה כנסת ישראל חס ושלום להם Through this power vested in Israel—their will to influence the world for good, to sanctify the nations [to be a light unto the nations]—this very force itself (via the principle of “this opposite t

Chanukka 5784 / 2023 Sarah Yehudit Schneider בחנוכה ובפורים מזכירין בתפלה בימי [מתתיהו…או מרדכי ואסתר], מה שלא מצינו במועדים שלא יזכירו יציאת מצרים על ידי משה ואהרן. והטעם דשם היה מפורש שהנס היה מהשם יתברך שצוה למשה ואהרן להוציא את בני ישראל ממצרים מה שאין כן כאן שעשו ישראל מעצמם. ובימי מרדכי היה על כל פנים נביאים אחרונים מה שאין כן בחנוכת חשמונאים שכבר פסקה נבואה מישראל רק הם מעצמם נתעוררו לקדש שם שמים ואף שהיה גם כן מהשם יתברך שנתן להם כח ואומץ הלב. ואחר כך עשה להם הנס לנצח

A HOUSE FOR HIMSELF, SUKKOT FOR HIS HERDSSarah Yehudit Schneider— On one hand, the Torah is explicit: The reason we spend this week sitting in our club houses with thatched roofs is: בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים כָּל-הָאֶזְרָח בְּיִשְֹרָאֵל יֵשְׁבוּ בַּסֻּכֹּת: לְמַעַן יֵדְעוּ דֹרֹתֵיכֶם כִּי בַסֻּכּוֹת הוֹשַׁבְתִּי אֶת-בְּנֵי יִשְֹרָאֵל בְּהוֹצִיאִי אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם …: … in order that subsequent generations will know that I, HaShem, caused the Israelites to

Chanukka teaches us how to survive exile and how to accomplish the purpose of it. And that brings us the paradox of “isolation and integration” as you shall see. We recommend viewing the video in full-screen mode by clicking the box (made from arrows) at the bottom right of the screen when the video begins. The logo will disappear when you move your cursor off the screen. If you are having trouble viewing this video, you can download it HERE.