The Earth was a vacant abyss, with darkness on the surface of the watery depths, and a great wind blowing on the surface of the water. – Genesis 1:2 As we enter the first Shabbat of the year, and we ...

Once a year, we do a double, magical lighting. The candles of Shabbat meet the candles of Hanukkah. In a year when we’ve seen so much darkness, this marriage of lights holds a special significance.

In 2017, shortly after a mass shooting occurred in Las Vegas, plans for an open-air Shabbat dinner on Pico Boulevard (as part of the global unity program, Shabbat Project) were cancelled. Similarly, ...