As we celebrate the holiday of light and welcome Shabbat,
We struggle through this darkness and together we will get through.
Yachad Nenetzach
Chag Urim Sameach
Shabbat Shalom
As we celebrate the holiday of light and welcome Shabbat,
We struggle through this darkness and together we will get through.
Yachad Nenetzach
Chag Urim Sameach
Shabbat Shalom
Maoz Tzur shared by cantors from Canada.
Chag Chanukah Sameach and
Shabbat Shalom!
Nissim Black and Kosha Dillz gave us the Adam Sandler remix
Chag Urim Sameach
Kippalive lends their talents to this special song
Now is the time to rededicate ourselves to the cause of humanity by helping Ukrainians during this harsh winter. The Russians are brutal, targeting civilians to bring Ukraine to it’s knees.
Please help by donating what you can to the relief efforts.
Donate here and receive a Kippah to proudly display, like the Menorah in the window, that you #StandWithUkraine. www.RabbiDavidLevin.com/Kippah.
Chag Urim Sameach!
I am honored to preside over the lighting of the Chanukah menorah in Philadelphia on December 18, 2022.
Join us via zoom as we rededicate ourselves by the Boat Houses on the Schuykill River.
Check the Federation website for details and to register. www.JewishPhilly.org
I usually post music to help welcome Shabbat. But today, halfway through Hanukah, I could not resist sharing the incomparable Cantor Azi Schwartz’s Hanukah medley. Enjoy and Chag Sameach!
As we welcome Shabbat, this weekend will mark the start of Hannukah.
May the sacred lights brighten your soul.
! חג אורים שמח ושבת שלים
And enjoy this wonderful Hannukah medley from the extraordinary Six13:
Each year I hear the following:
~Put Christ back into Christmas
~Get materialism out of Christmas
~Don’t Mix Hanukkah and Christmas
Do this, don’t do that; lots of proscriptions and prescriptions. But maybe we might pause and appreciate it precisely as it is.
Christmas is more than the birthday of Jesus. Indeed, as we all know, it is not the day of his birth. That Christmas is more than the marking of Jesus’ birth is not new. The idea that we may universalize the message of the holiday has been at the heart of a Christian message, softly spreading of the values at its core. I have always been taken by the beauty of the idea expressed in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son…” It is a message of love and light and our world does not have enough of either. The message is enlightening and one I can deeply appreciate even if I do not embrace the theology.
To those who attend mass or use this as a moment of sacred holiness, I stand respectfully quiet. To those who decorate homes with all kinds of festive lights, I drive by like a tourist taking in the spectacle, even grading for taste, presentation, originality, and use of the secret ingredient (with deference to Iron Chef). For those who gather the family to share a meal and time together, I only wish we had more reasons to do that. For those who give gifts, no matter how big or small, I hope that each gift is an expression of love and caring for both the giver and the receiver, bringing both close together.
Christmas in America is beautiful, even those parts some of us just don’t get. But that is okay. So, to everyone, a very Merry Christmas (and a Happy New Year)!
Light One Candle
One of the great songs about the meaning of Chanukah, our Country, and our Faith- keeping the dream alive written by Peter Yarrow and immortalized by his group Peter Paul and Mary.