We hear a lot about the change from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time across the country. I lived in one of the few states, Arizona, where we leave our clocks alone. However, don’t be fooled. We, too, are still affected by the time change because the rest of the country goes back and forth. We are ruled by time, deadlines, and meetings with very little downtime. Thankfully we have preserved Shabbat and remember that it will always be a time that remains sacred. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel described the Sabbath as a “palace in time.”

We know it is time for Shabbat when the sun goes down but we follow the time of the month by the moon. The new month begins with the sight of the slivered moon. We can look up at the sky at any time throughout the month, leave our devices alone for a moment, and know where we are in time. We know that, when we see a full moon, the middle of the month is upon us. Tonight is the 15th of Kislev, the middle of the month (even though the actual full moon, known as a Beaver Moon in November, will not appear until Friday morning); and that means that Hanukkah is almost here!

JTeach.org is filled with incredible activities and lessons for Hanukkah to enrich your classroom and home celebrations.

What a beautiful time to celebrate!

Alissa C Zuchman 

Director 

JTeach