Hanukkah Candle Lighting

Each night of Hanukkah, we add a candle to the hanukkiah we place in the window of our homes. It is lovely to watch the light increase and push against the darkness of the winter nights. The Talmud teaches that by adding candles we are increasing the holiness in the world; in this section of Ritualwell we offer a variety of ways to increase the beauty and awe your candle lighting brings to your home and the world.

Latest Rituals

A Hanukkah Ritual to Mark the Incompleteness of Our Joy

This Hanukkah 2023 ritual acknowledges the incompleteness of joy while captives are being held.

captives, hanukkah, Israel

a hanukkan menorah with all lights lit but the eighth candle

A Hanukkah Candle Lighting Prayer for Difficult Times

A new Hanukkah blessing for 2023/5784.

candle lighting, candles, darkness, hanukkah, light

a hanukkiah with lit candles

The Lights in December

“For a short while the lights mingle harmoniously”

candle lighting, winter

lighting all white hanukkah candles in window with reflection of candles

Fading Light on the Eighth Night

“I look to the next candle in line, / still alive with yellow glow and hope”

candle lighting, hope

fully lit hanukkiyah in the dark with another hanukiyah in the background that appears to be a reflection of the first

Blessing of Kislev

This poem emerged from an exploration of the component words of Kislev: kis (pocket) and lev (heart)

candle lighting, heart, kislev

smiling asian kid with black long hair holding a glowing heart that appears to be made out of wire with glowing lights in the background

Light in Kislev

“We call dormant brightness into being”

candle lighting, light

Lit candles surrounded by greenery on a dark wooden surface, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.

The Hanukkah Choir of Silence

“The wicks have bowed their heads low”

candle lighting, light

Black and white image of smoke rising from extinguished candles on a dimly lit table.

Hanerot Hallalu Kodesh Hem: These Lights of Ours are Holy

An original melody for Hanukkah

candle lighting, hanukkah

Person lighting a menorah with a blue and white candle.

Pandemic Hanukkah

“It doesn’t even matter if the miracles are true / What matters is what they stand for”

candle lighting, hanukkah

a person's hand placing an ornage and yellow Hanukkah candle into a menorah. The menorah is filled with other multi-colored candles.

If We Could Speak Light

“If we could pluck shards / from the dark …”

blessing, candle lighting, hope, love

A silhouette of a person standing in a sunlit forest, surrounded by tall trees.