Everybody wants spirituality. To be a good person means to walk in G-d's ways. How does that translate to reality? The only guidebook to spirituality that has stood the test of time is the Hebrew Bible. The Bible says that the Jews will be a light onto the nations. But if you are not a born Jew, you have to convert, which is not so easy!! If you do convert, it is a lot of work to be a Jew (three times a day prayer, keeping kosher, observing the Sabbath).
This blog will show you how to be Jewish without the work!!
Saturday, December 20, 2025
Tomorrow is the Last Day of Chanukah 2025 & Eight Candles Tonight & One Man Stood Up. Millions Stood With Him: The world has raised more than $2.5 million for Ahmed al-Ahmed - the man who tackled and disarmed one of the attackers during the Bondi Hanukkah attack. & Magdala stone: 2,000-year-old carving from Jerusalem is world's oldest known depiction of a menorah & Which Is Correct: Hanukkah or Chanukah? & A billion-dollar drug was found in Easter Island soil – what scientists and companies owe the Indigenous people they studied & with those we have lost
Yehuda Lave is an author, journalist, psychologist, rabbi, spiritual teacher, and coach, with degrees in business, psychology and Jewish Law. He works with people from all walks of life and helps them in their search for greater happiness, meaning, business advice on saving money, and spiritual engagement.
One Man Stood Up. Millions Stood With Him: The world has raised more than $2.5 million for Ahmed al-Ahmed - the man who tackled and disarmed one of the attackers during the Bondi Hanukkah attack.
In the middle of the chaos, Ahmed stepped in without hesitation. A completely selfless act that put his own life at risk to protect others.
He saved multiple lives, and was shot twice while doing so.
Now, people across the world have stepped forward for Ahmed and his family, donating over $2.5 million through GoFundMe in recognition of his bravery.
Magdala stone: 2,000-year-old carving from Jerusalem is world's oldest known depiction of a menorah
The Three are Rabbi Yehuda Glick, famous temple mount activist, and former Israel Mk, and then Robert Weinger, the world's greatest shofar blower and seller of Shofars, and myself after we had gone to the 12 gates of the Temple Mount in 2020 to blow the shofar to ask G-d to heal the world from the Pandemic. It was a highlight to my experience in living in Israel and I put it on my blog each day to remember.
The articles that I include each day are those that I find interesting, so I feel you will find them interesting as well. I don't always agree with all the points of each article but found them interesting or important to share with you, my readers, and friends. It is cathartic for me to share my thoughts and frustrations with you about life in general and in Israel. As a Rabbi, I try to teach and share the Torah of the G-d of Israel as a modern Orthodox Rabbi. I never intend to offend anyone but sometimes people are offended and I apologize in advance for any mistakes. The most important psychological principle I have learned is that once someone's mind is made up, they don't want to be bothered with the facts, so, like Rabbi Akiva, I drip water (Torah is compared to water) on their made-up minds and hope that some of what I have share sinks in. Love Rabbi Yehuda Lave.
Last Day of Chanukah 2025
Many Jewish people mark the last day of Hanukkah as the end of the Hanukkah celebrations. Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish observance to commemorate the Jewish people's struggle for religious freedom.
Is Last Day of Chanukah a Public Holiday?
This is not a public holiday in the United States. Most businesses, schools, and offices are open and follow regular hours, but Jewish-run businesses and organizations might be closed.
It is a Jewish tradition for candles to be lit during Hanukkah.
Hanukkah is one of the happiest Jewish events for many Jewish Americans. Many families light candles on the hanukiah, a type of candle holder, eat sizzling potato pancakes, give gifts and play with the dreidel, a spinning toy that is particularly popular during Hanukkah.
The last day of Hanukkah is the eighth day of Hanukkah. It is known as Zose Hanukkah, Zos Hanukkah or Zot Hanukkah. It is the second day of the month of Tevet and marks the day on which the great miracle of oil occurred, according to Jewish belief. It is a particularly special day because it encapsulates all of Hanukkah.
Hanukkah events include daytime or evening events featuring make popular food eaten during Hanukkah, particularly food fried in oil. There are also music nights reserved for singing and playing the dreidel, games events, as well as concerts and plays.
Public Life
The last day of Hanukkah is not a nationwide federal holiday in the United States. Many Jewish schools have their school vacation fall around the same time of Hanukkah.
Background
Hanukkah commemorates the Jewish people's successful rebellion against the Syrians in the Maccabean War in 162 BCE. A ritual cleansing and re-dedication of the Temple occurred after the Jewish people's victory. It is believed that there was only enough consecrated oil to keep the lamp burning for one day but the small bottle of oil miraculously lasted for eight days. Hanukkah, also known as Chanukah, is referred as the Feast of Lights or Festival of Lights for this reason.
Moreover, the survival of Judaism over the many years is also celebrated during this period. Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days between the 25th day of the month of Kislev to the second day of Tevet in the Hebrew calendar. The first day of Hanukkah marks the start of eight-day Hanukkah period. It is marked as the 25th day of the month of Kislev in the Jewish calendar. The Hanukkah period ends on the second day of the month of Tevet. It is important to note that many Jewish observances begin at sunset on the day before.
Symbols
The dreidel is a toy that is popular during the Hanukkah celebrations. It is a spinning top with a different Hebrew letter inscribed in each of its four sides – the four letters form an acronym meaning "a great miracle happened here". The hanukiah (or chanukkiyah) is a type of candelabrum that holds eight candles to commemorate the eight days that the oil burned and a ninth candle that sits apart, known as the shamash, or servant candle that lights the others. One candle is lit on the first night, another on the second, and so forth until all candles are lit on the last night.
Jewish Holidays Last Longer Outside of Israel
In the Jewish diaspora—Jewish communities outside of Israel—an extra day is usually added to religious observances, with the exception of Yom Kippur, which lasts only one day worldwide, and Rosh Hashana, which is celebrated over two days in both Israel and the diaspora.
This custom has its roots in ancient times when the beginning of the months in the Jewish calendar still relied on the sighting of the crescent Moon following a New Moon.
The beginning of a new month was determined by the Sanhedrin, the supreme court of ancient Israel in Jerusalem. Once the date was published, messengers were dispatched to spread the news among Jews living abroad. Since this process took some time, it was decreed that Jews outside of ancient Israel were to observe every holiday for 2 days to make sure that the rules and customs applicable to each holiday were observed on the proper date. This rule is still observed today.
We shed some light on the spelling of the name of the Festival of Lights. by Amy Tikkanen Britannica Editors
The Jewish Festival of Lights is an eight-day celebration that commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. It is one of the most popular holidays in Judaism and is marked by the lighting of the menorah. For many English speakers, the festival is also known for confusion over the spelling of its name: Is it Hanukkah or Chanukah? The answer is that both are considered correct, though Hanukkah is the most widely used spelling, while Chanukah is more traditional. In addition, more than 20 other variations are recorded. Why so many spellings? Transliteration.
Hebrew does not use the Latin alphabet, which is the standard script of many languages, including English. Thus, when used in an English context, the sounds of the different Hebrew characters must be converted, or transliterated, into Latin letters. However, the Hebrew word for the holiday uses sounds that aren't found in the Latin alphabet. The difficulty begins with the very first letter of the word, which is the eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet—ḥet, or chet. It is pronounced with a guttural sound that is similar to the /ch/ in loch. So, when the Hebrew word was transliterated in the 17th century, the ḥet became ch (Chanukah). However, when the English ch appears at the beginning of a word, it sounds quite different than the Hebrew ḥet (compare loch and chair). Thus, in the 18th century another spelling appeared—Hanukkah—even though the h doesn't really sound like ḥet either. Transliteration issues also arose over the use of other letters—such as one or two k's—resulting in many spelling variations.
A billion-dollar drug was found in Easter Island soil – what scientists and companies owe the Indigenous people they studied
An antibiotic discovered on Easter Island in 1964 sparked a billion-dollar pharmaceutical success story. Yet the history told about this "miracle drug" has completely left out the people and politics that made its discovery possible.
Named after the island's Indigenous name, Rapa Nui, the drug rapamycin was initially developed as an immunosuppressant to prevent organ transplant rejection and to improve the efficacy of stents to treat coronary artery disease. Its use has since expanded to treat various types of cancer, and researchers are currently exploring its potential to treat diabetes, neurodegenerativediseasesandevenaging. Indeed, studies raising rapamycin's promise to extend lifespan or combat age-related diseases seem to be published almost daily. A PubMed search reveals over 59,000 journal articles that mention rapamycin, making it one of the most talked-about drugs in medicine.
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