Our Hanukkah Traditions

Does your family have any special holiday traditions during this festive time of year?

Most of us do, including host Yael Eckstein, who shares her special family traditions for Hanukkah. Yael explains how this holiday inspires hope, faith, and light for her husband and kids… and how Hanukkah has kept the Jewish people hopeful during the darkest of times in their history.

This Hanukkah, let’s remember all the light God brings to our lives and how this holiday has inspired faith in those who desperately need it.

Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas!

Learn more about Hanukkah in our Learning Center.

And listen to more of Yael’s teachings on her daily podcast, The Chosen People.

Episode Notes:

In this episode, Yael talks about a well-known Jewish holiday that carries a message of faith, hope, and courage that is so relevant for both Jews and Christians today—Hanukkah! Yael walks us through many of the Hanukkah traditions that Jews share and special memories of celebrating Hanukkahwith her own family—all are traditions that center around God as our light.

We’ll look to the Bible, where Psalm 27 tells us: “The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident” (vv.1-3).

And Yael reflects on the idea that when God is our light, we can always remember that even when the flame seems small, our light of faith is big. Just the smallest amount of faith can bring about a miracle. Let’s all—as people of faith—share the light of that faith with someone we know who is struggling this holy season.