Eigth Night: Rededication

Read aloud: As we light this candle on the 8th night of Chanukah, we remember Eric Garner. May Eric’s memory be for a blessing.

(Recite Chanukah blessings)

Read aloud: With this dedication we are moved by our Jewish values that teach us, “Justice! Justice you shall pursue!” and tonight we take action to carry out the sixth of six demands called for by Ferguson Action organizers.

As Chanukah draws to a close, let us rededicate ourselves to working for racial justice in the coming months and years by making a specific commitment. Spend some time looking into organizations in your community working on issues of racial justice, such as police accountability, racial profiling, and the prison industrial complex, to name a few. What organizations, particularly those led by people of color, are doing this work? What issues are they addressing? How can you support their work? What work can be done in your Jewish community to invite frank conversations—and plans for action— about racism in the Jewish community? Write down two or three ways you commit to take action in the coming months and beyond.

There is a lot happening in a Torah service, more choreography than in preceding prayers, plus a range of opportunities for individuals and groups of congregants to approach in one way or another. But all this, intended though it is to draw us near, can instead yield confusion and distance. Moreover, Jews celebrating a life cycle event at the Torah are often swept into public roles that leave little time for private meditation.

Over the centuries, many opportunities for private, improvisational prayer have become public, fixed recitations. Opening of the Ark is one such moment.

Here is a new prayer, based on "B'rich Shmei" (Blessed is the Name) and other words commonly recited as the Ark is opened. Use it as is, if it speaks to you, and/or use it as a springboard for developing your own words. Regardless the words (or, perhaps, lack thereof), re-capture this precious time by carving out for yourself a few moments to consider: What is your prayer as the Torah enters your midst? To what are you opening?

Here in this Torah service we travel the wilderness in the company of the Ark, stand again at Sinai, and re-enact the process of transmission and interpretation as multiple individuals rise to bring the Torah from script to voice. Time collapses. We join the ageless chorus reciting verses that challenge and comfort, awe and enrage, perplex and command. We feel the presence of Jews who have experienced much, in endurance and in celebration, preserving these words. We feel the call of future Jews depending on us to grasp this Tree of Life and hold it for them.

At this expansive point we pray that our hearts open to the essence of Torah and ask for the gift of God’s good light to guide us through our daily lives.

In this precious, liminal moment, fear and need merge with strength and hope. May we all, particularly those observing lifecycle events at the Torah, emerge from this service with a renewed sense of blessing.

[Take a few moments for considering particular concerns and joys brought to the Torah today.]

Let the divine flow of communication represented here bring to us, and to all whom we touch, peace, mercy, sustenance, and gratitude. Thank you for this good teaching.

Amen

 

Light the braided Havdalah candle, but don’t say a blessing yet.Thefirst blessing that we say is over the wine. Lift the cup of wine and say:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּֽפֶן

Baruch atah, Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha'olam, boray pri hagafen.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
[A traditional translation.]

-

Holy One of Blessing,Your Presence fills creation,forming the fruit of the vine.

[An alternative translationfrom Vetaher Libenu, a prayerbook created byCongregation Beth El of the Sudbury River Valley.]

The second blessing is over the spices. Lift the spices and say:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא מִינֵי בְשָׂמִים

Baruch atah, Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha'olam, boray minay vesamim.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, ruler of the universe,who creates species of fragrance.

[A traditional translation.]

After saying the blessing, inhale the sweet smell. Pass around the spicebox so that everybody can inhale the scent deeply.

The last blessing marks the separation of Shabbat from the rest of the week. We say:

,בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמַּבְדִיל בֵּין קֹֽדֶשׁ לְחוֹל, בֵּין אוֹר לְחֹֽשֶׁךְ
.בֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל לָעַמִּים, בֵּין יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי לְשֵֽׁשֶׁת יְמֵי הַמַּעֲשֶׂה
.בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, הַמַּבְדִיל בֵּין קֹֽדֶשׁ לְחוֹל

Baruch atah, Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha'olam, hamavdilbayn kodesh lecholbayn or lechoshech
bayn Yisrael la'amimbayn yom hashevi'i leshayshet yemay hama'aseh.
Baruch atah, Adonai, hamavdil bayn kodesh lechol.

-

Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who separates
between holy and secular, between light and darkness, between Israel
and other peoples, between the seventh day and the six days of work.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, who separates between holy and secular.

[A traditional translation.]

-

Blessed are you, The Many-Named, our God, the sovereign of all worlds,
who separates between holy and ordinary, light and dark,
the seventh day and the six days of work.
Blessed are you, The Invisible who separates the holy from the ordinary.

[An alternative translation from Kol Haneshamah, the Reconstructionist siddur.]

We then sip the wine and extinguish the candle in the remaining wine. Many have the custom of singing “Eliyahu Ha’Navi” while slowly lowering the Havdalah candle into the wine so that the candle is extinguished as the song ends.

 

CHANUKAH BLESSINGS

Each night, candles are placed in themenorah, also called the chanukiah (a nine-branched candelabra), from right to left. Theshamash(taller helper) candle is lit first each night. Then the blessings are recited, after which theshamashis used to light the other candles, moving from left to right so that the newest candles is lit first each night. According to theTalmud, thechanukiahis placed in front of the house or a window for all to see, unless such exposure might

be endangering (Babylonian TalmudShabbat21b).

Kavannah/Intention before lighting candles:

נר אלהים נשמת אדם The light of God is the human soul. —Proverbs 20:27

Read aloud: As we light each candle, we remember the souls whose light has been extinguished too soon because of police violence. As we create more and more light each night of Chanukah, we commit ourselves to working for police accountability and an end to the systemic racism that has led to the death of too many divine lights.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵנוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲׁשֶר קִדְּׁשָנוּ בְּמִצְווֹתָיו וצְִוּנָו

לְהַדְלִיק נרֵ שֶל חֲנכָֻּה

Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai, E-lo-he-nu Me-lech ha-olam, a-sher ki-de-sha-nu be-mitz-vo-tav, ve-tzi-va-nu le-had-liknerCha-nu-kah.

Blessed are You, Source of All Light, who makes us holy through your mitzvot, and who instructs us to kindle the Chanukah light.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵנוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶעָשָׂה נסִִּים לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בַּיּמִָים הַהֵם בַּזּמְַן הַזּהֶ

Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai, E-lo-he-nu Me-lech Ha-olam,

she-a-sa ni-sim la-avo-te-nu ba-ya-mim ha-hem ba-zman ha-zeh.

Blessed are You, Soure of All Light, who performed miracles for our ancestors in their days at this time.