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The Case for Applesauce
by Laurence Kaufman

Originally posted on The Huffington Post

On "Black Friday," I went to the mall, and for the first time since my conversion many years ago, I felt an empty pit in my stomach.

Hanukkah, which begin at sundown on December 6th, seems far off – but it isn’t too early for your congregation, sisterhood, or brotherhood to start planning a Hanukkah fundraiser.

Now that my daughter is in preschool, I've come to realize that hearing about cultural and religious practices directly from the practitioners only emphasizes our otherness.

This year, the heated argument between the disciples of Hillel and the followers of Shammai over how to light the Hanukkah menorah speaks to me.

This meditation for Hanukkah focuses on bringing the light we carry inside ourselves into the world and lighting the lamps of awe and wonder in our children.

This light’s for Hanukkah, for a people who who choose to begin our best of days with light...
 

Sometimes we create our own traditions, sometimes we carry on a tradition we inherit, and sometimes a tradition can come from unexpected places.