Extra prayers/reflections for lighting on the last night of Chanukah; Berkeley Shabbat and teaching there Monday
David Seidenberg
I wrote a few different kavanot (poetic intentions) for lighting the menorah tonight, related to the war. Here's a link to the doc, followed by an excerpt that gives you the theme of the longer litany. I hope some folks will find it useful!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_lkWPl2DDksMvNcVvtLJqD6EBirW0ALb6l2BPLNdp6k/edit
The sages told us to celebrate the light, not the fire, and the Maccabees told us to celebrate the fire not the light, and now we live in a moment when we must choose between them...
And the sages taught us to remember and see by the light of the menorah, even though the Maccabees looked at their world through the flames of the consuming fire that burned on the altar...
Let us call on each other to see by the light of the menorah, even though we cannot look away from the consuming fire...
The kavanot are also on opensiddur at: https://opensiddur.org/prayers/lunisolar/commemorative-days/hanukkah/kavvanah-and-prayer-for-zot-hanukkah-5784-by-david-seidenberg-neohasid-org/
Also, I'm in Berkeley for Shabbat, and I'll be teaching a study session/workshop on Jewish indigenousness at Chochmat Halev next Monday, 8-9 pm. Here's the fb event page:
https://facebook.com/events/s/jewish-indigenousness-a-key-to/676194104696046/
If you're in the area I'd love to see you!
If you haven't done it yet this year, I also recommend giving the eco-conscious version of Banu Choshekh a whirl this final night. That and all other neohasid Chanukah material is linked here:
http://neohasid.org/zman/chanukah/
Wishing you all and the world peace, and success in planting these seeds of light in the soil of darkness.
David Seidenberg