Showing posts with label channukah. Show all posts

12/16/12

The Magic of Light, The Last Day of Chanukah

הנרות הללו עקיבא מרגליות ופרחי בית אל

Shavua Tov and Happy Channukah

12/12/12

Channukah with Givati

The Givati Brigade lights candles for the Hanukkah holiay with bereaved families.

Photo: IDF Spokesperson

a little bit of music..

שירי חנוכה מחרוזת נהדרת בביצועו של אביחי מליחי

12/11/12

12/10/12

Katif Center present a Hanukkah special project about bravery: "Banish the Darkness".
Across the eight days of the holiday, eight former Gush Katif residents will light a candle while telling their personal story and explain the symbols and persons who gave them the strength to overcome the pain and build their lives anew.
For the first candle we meet Rina Ackerman, a mother of eleven children from Neve Dkalim, who is waiting for the construction of her new home in the lahich area.
You are invited to subscribe to Katif Center's page in order to be the first to see the second candle lightning by Rabbi Yitzhak Amitai, an Azmona Talmud Torah educator who know lives in Shomria.
http://www.mkatif.org/ - https://www.facebook.com/GushkatifCenter
Project "Banish the darkness" produced by http://www.Isralife.tv
Director: Emmanuelle Adda
Producer: Dina Cohen
Camera and Editing: Jonathan Mimoun

a little bit of music...

The Yeshiva Boys Choir - "Those Were The Nights (of Chanukah)"

Yafo

Channukah second day

12/6/12

A light into the nations

Channukah took place during the Hellenistic oppression called Golus Yavan. Golus Yavan is referred to as the "exile of darkness" because it took away the light of Torah. We call things that are negative - darkness. Evil is darkness. Chanuka expresses the victory of light over darkness. Which strategy is most successful for getting rid of darkness i.e. combatting evil - to burn away and destroy it or to create a greater light so that the darkness just vanishes? Both methods are valid. The nature of the dispute between Beis Hillel and Beis Shammai is - do we favour the burning or the illuminating aspect of a flame? What is supposed to be the main thrust of a Jew ( which we learn from what happened on Chanuka)? Beis Shammai learns that when we fight the negative corrupting aspect of the prevalent pagan world-culture e.g. through prayer, then we are steadily wiping out the influence on us. Thus, we should light the chanukia starting with 8 and reducing the number of candles each night - symbolising the destruction of evil in the world. On the other hand, Beis Hillel says we must raise ourselves spiritually and become the embodiment of morality in the world in order to battle against immorality. For this reason,(we pasken like Beis Hillel) we increase the number of candles each night to remind us to increase the light of Torah knowledge and understanding in the world, and we banish the darkness of evil by becoming "a light unto the nations". Chag Channukah Samaech!
(apapted from Rabbi Mendel Weinbach)
source

the miracle of light

Sufganiot!!!

In those days, at this time.

What is the miracle of Hanukkah really about?
One days' worth of olive oil lasting for 8 days, was indeed, miraculous.... but there is so much more to this holiday than meets the eye. Hanukkah is the miraculous story of the Jewish People, and as you will see -the story never ended. It lives today in our times, through the miracle of the State of Israel, and the modern day Maccabees who stand alongside her. Watch this short and powerful video from Jerusalem, for illuminating
insights and fascinating perspectives into the holiday of Hanukkah