As far back as the Garden of Eden, we humans have feared the dark and yearned for periods of light. This Hanukkah season, for our people’s ancient winter solstice celebration, what darkness are we being asked to release in order to rededicate our lives and communities in the light of eternal hope?
Taking the traditional Hanukkah candle blessings as our starting point, we will explore the historical and mythic layers of “miracles for our ancestors” at “this time” of year. Through a lesser-known but fundamental Hanukkah origins story recorded in the Talmud, in which the season of Hanukkah is linked explicitly to the winter solstice, this conversation will invite reflection, warmth, and a dose of humanity around the inevitable and mysteriously generative experience of winter in our lives. Reference to the canon of Kabbalah will illuminate an enduring Jewish metaphysics of hope in darkness, both literal and poetic. Where is darkness a burden in your life?
Where does light shine through? How do we intentionally kindle and follow light, and how can darkness, in its most nurturing forms, give us the space to discover new depths of the natural world? Like other indigenous cultures, Israelite society used the rhythms of heavenly bodies to animate their sacred calendar. Today, our Jewish heritage offers well-preserved, vital tools to draw wisdom from both darkness and light, whose relationship shifts dynamically over time.
Buoyed by text study and blessed by expert mentorship, Yaakov Ginsberg-Schreck has guided RUACH‘s growth from a breath-focused project proposal into one of the most exciting Jewish startups in the nation (UpStart UpLift Summer 2024 Cohort). Applying his education in American studies, his experience with social movement organizing, and his belief in the healing nexus of science and spirituality, Yaakov began RUACH as a rabbinical student project at Hebrew College. From 2020-2022, he worked with Hebrew College’s senior leadership to design Beit Neshama (“House of Breath”), the first Jewish movement and meditation studio in the country, on the school’s collaborative campus. In 2023, after four transformative years of learning, RUACH incorporated as its own nonprofit, and Yaakov left the rabbinical program to move into full-time organizational leadership, serving as RUACH’s managing director before being appointed executive director by RUACH’s board in 2024. RUACH is now one of Hebrew College’s shared campus partners.
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