Pray

Ein Keloheinu: A Blessing Explosion

Recited at the end of Shabbat morning services, this beautiful poem does a lot with a little.

Hanukkah 2023

In 2023, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Thursday, Dec. 7 and lasts until sundown on Friday, Dec. 15.

9 Things You Didn’t Know About Hanukkah

Lesser-known facts about the Festival of Lights.

Hanukkah 101

From candle-lighting to Maccabees and latkes to dreidels.

Next Torah Portion

Summary

In this Torah portion, God tells Jacob to return home. Worried that his brother Esau will kill him, Jacob divides his clan into two camps, so at least some will survive in case of a fight. Jacob sleeps alone in the desert and is awoken by an angel who wrestles him through the night. Jacob survives and is blessed by the angel and renamed Israel. Jacob meets his brother and, surprisingly, they embrace. Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, is raped by Shekhem, who then proposes to Jacob that he marry her. Shimeon and Levi brutally murder Shekhem and his clan. Rachel has another child, whom she and Jacob name Benjamin.

FULL SUMMARY
HAFTARAH SUMMARY

Parashat Vayishlach

Genesis 32:4 – 36:43

Obadiah 1:1 – 1:21

Parashat Vayishlach: Honoring the Best of Jacob

This Torah portion interperses multiple momentous encounters with the divine realm with a series of fraught incidents between humans.



More from MJL

Must-Know Hanukkah Words and Phrases

Key vocabulary for the Jewish Festival of Lights.

How to Talk to God

The Hasidic prayer practice of hitbodedut — talking to God freely in one’s native tongue — helps to build intimacy over time.

8 Hanukkah Traditions From Around the World

From bonfires to hanging menorahs to an extra candle, here are some lesser-known Jewish Hanukkah traditions from all over the globe.

Why the Maccabees Aren’t in the Bible

The books that tell the Hanukkah tale didn’t make it into the Hebrew Bible — but they are in the Catholic one.

Why Music is Fundamental to Jewish Prayer

Jewish tradition teaches that music unlocks the door to divine connection.

The History of Hanukkah

How the festival of lights became a holiday, and how it has evolved in modern times.