This month invites us into the kind of trust that emerges in darkness and deep rest.
According to Kabbalah, our mystical tradition, the spiritual sense of Kislev is sleep—the art of resting in faith. To sleep well is to trust that the Divine, whoever, however, we imagine that to be, will return our soul in the morning. The Rebbe Rashab taught that those who fall asleep easily can enter prayer easily—because both require surrender.
Kislev is also the month of dreaming: nine of the ten dreams in Torah appear this month.
The Talmud, and we are a Talmudic people, teaches that “a dream is one-sixtieth of prophecy,” and “an uninterpreted dream is like an unopened letter” (Rav Hisda, Talmud Bavli). Each dream offers us a message from the unseen, waiting to be received.
Each month has a symbolic Hebrew letter. The Hebrew letter that corresponds to Kislev is Samekh, meaning support. Its shape is a womb-like circle, without beginning or end—a symbol of the Ohr Makif, the surrounding light that holds and protects us. The Zohar, which means “Splendor”, “Radiance” or “Brightness”, is the foundational text of mystical Judaism, addressing the letter Samekh, teaches: “Those who are falling lean on you.”
Perhaps the great miracle of Hanukkah is this: learning to trust even as we fall into darkness, knowing that the Samekh encircles us—supporting both our descent and our becoming.
Now we will follow our guide as she moves us into the forest where we will make eight stops, symbolic of the 8 candles, the 8 days of Hanukkah. At each station, a reflection will be read or a song sung. Then we will be invited by our guide to engage with the sensory experience of the healing forest.
Station 1: Blessings
“The Light of Blessings” by Rabbi Yael Levy
Blessings abound. Even in the turmoil, even amid all the brokenness, blessings abound. Life is filled with treasures. Loving relationships, joyful moments, music, poetry, art, the magnificence of the natural world. Goodness is present. Noticing the blessings and allowing ourselves to experience the good strengthens and sustains us. It gives us energy, inspires the spirit and raises up joy.
On this day of Hanukkah we sit in the light of blessings, not to deny what is difficult, but rather to be supported and encouraged by the good that exists.
Invitation:
1. Using the magnifying glass, explore the tree trunks and look closely at their patterns. How are they the same from tree to tree? How do they differ?
What did you notice? (sight) The patterns on the tree trunks tell me…
Station 2: Scent
“Hanukkah Lights Tonight” by Steven Schneider
Our annual prairie Hanukkah party—
latkes, kugel, cherry blintzes.
Friends arrive from nearby towns
and dance the twist to “Hanukkah Lights Tonight,”
spin like a dreidel to a klezmer hit.
The candles flicker in the window.
Outside, ponderosa pines are tied in red bows.
If you squint,
the neighbors’ Christmas lights
look like the Omaha skyline.
The smell of oil is in the air.
We drift off to childhood
where we spent our gelt
on baseball cards and matinees,
cream sodas and potato knishes.
No delis in our neighborhood,
only the wind howling over the crushed corn stalks.
Inside, we try to sweep the darkness out,
waiting for the Messiah to knock,
wanting to know if he can join the party.
Invitation:
2. Using a container, walk and collect anything that has a scent that you appreciate. Using a stick, stir, blend etc. to create your forest perfume. Name your perfume. Share it with everyone. (smell
When I inhale my forest perfume deeply, my body feels…
Station 3: Giving and Receiving: Listening closely to one another
“Darkness” by Selah Bruriah
“Day told her sister, Night, ‘When you are darkest is when you are most beautiful. It’s when you are most you.’” – Lupita Nyong’o, Sulwe
If Darkness is Love
then it is rich chocolate
savored slowly;
black coffee at dawn
just before the light breaks.
If Darkness is Love
it is the velvet sky and keeping vigil
praying amongst the stars;
the truth of the moon with nothing to reflect
heralding the new month’s first days;
lush composted earth
and the water of the womb,
nourishing new life beyond vision.
It is lovers whispering the sweetest of secrets
and a blanket-fort built to keep out the world;
Black Fire of sacred words
creating the shape
of White Fire yearning for your wisdom.
If Darkness is Love
it is the preservation of precious memories
developing slowly under red lights,
smudged on fingers in typewriter ink.
It is the bliss of closed eyes after a long day,
the quiet place where anything is possible.
Darkness
is Love
filled to the brim,
swirling with promise,
imbued with hope,
trembling in anticipation
as Holy breath caresses Her face.
Darkness is Love:
deep, endless, rapturous curiosity
ripe for the work of creation.
Selah.
Invitation:
3. Look around the forest and find a natural gift that you’d like to give your partner. Sit back-to-back with your partner. One person is the describer, and the other is the receiver. The describer gives details, and the receiver draws what they hear. When finished, change roles. Then share the gifts with each other. (hearing)
I am choosing the item for my partner because….
Receiving my gift feels…
Station 4: Sound
Song: This Little Light of Mine
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Everywhere I go, I’m gonna let it shine…..
In my brother’s heart I’m gonna let it shine, ….
In my sister’s soul, I’m gonna let it shine, …..
All around the world, I’m gonna let it shine ….
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine….
Invitation:
4. Close your eyes for a moment and tune in to the sounds around you. What do you hear nearby? What’s farther away? Perhaps birdsong, wind through branches, the rustle of small creatures, or the rhythm of your own breath. Let the forest’s soundscape wash over you without labeling or seeking — simply receive it. (hearing)
I am hearing…..
Station 5: We “feel the textures of time”
“The Light of Life” by Rabbi Yael Levy
Eternity exists in the present moment,
Everything that ever happened, created this moment,
Everything that will ever be, goes forth from here.
The ancestors and the children of future generations are here with us. The ancestors are holding us in a loving embrace, sharing their determination and courage. And the children are sharing their hopes and visions. They are praying for our strength, clarity and well-being. We are on this journey through life together.
Invitation:
5. Explore textures: the roughness of bark, the smoothness of stones, the softness of moss. How many textures can you find? (touch)
The texture I enjoy feeling most is……..
Station 6: Creativity
From “Shining Lights of Chanukah” by Rabbi Yael Levy
Chanukah encourages us to search for and lift up the sacred, even when so much lies in ruin.
Chanukah calls us to cultivate active hope, the willingness to act in times of great turmoil, and be strengthened by each other’s devotion and care.
Chanukah calls us to remember that just because we cannot see or imagine how change could come to our tumultuous and frightening world, that does not mean transformation can’t happen. Chanukah calls us beyond the limits of certainty to a place where the miraculous is possible.
The mystics teach that the flames we kindle on Chanukah shine from the beginnings of creation. The light they reveal is the One Infinite Divine Light. All is connected; all is held in this Light. Everything and anything is possible. Ruach elohim, the Divine Spirit is in all.
May the Chanukah flames inspire our imagination, resilience and hope.
May they encourage our audacious and creative action for the sake of each other and all life.
May these lights, shining from the depths of mystery, illuminate pathways of justice and peace.
Invitation:
6. Nature Art -work in pairs/groups to gather items from the forest floor to create a nature work of art. Think about pattern, texture, color, form. Name your creation. Share your art with everyone. (sight)
Viewing everyone’s creations evoked thoughts of………
Station 7: Our intention of bringing melody and rhythm to adding ourselves to the expansion of light
“Let There Be Light” by Suzi B
In times of darkness,
let there be light.
In times of heartbreak,
let there be light.
In times of uncertainty,
let there be light.
In times of hatred,
let there be light.
In times of fear,
let there be light.
In times of broken peace,
let there be light.
In times of prejudice,
let there be light.
In times of negativity,
let there be light.
And so it goes,
The list is long.
Longer than the eight nights of Hanukkah .
Longer than we have the strength to willingly recall.
Still, each night of Hanukkah, we shed light.
And each night we increase that light.
By the eighth night, entire rooms are ablaze in a wondrous glow,
A glow which grows, as home by home the candles are lit.
If we are courageous …
If we push beyond the tiredness …
If we join together as a community …
As a nation …
As a people …
As a world …
Invitation:
7. Nature Music-work in groups to create a musical piece by gathering items and using only natural sounds and arrange them in a sequence. Eg-moving foot on leaves, tapping sticks, clacking stones. The piece should have a beginning, middle and end. Practice the piece and then share it with everyone. (hearing)
Listening to forest music helps me…..
Station 8: Light
“Kislev – the Coming of the Light” by Blaze Ardman
When the cunning, cold wind of Kislev
sneaks under your door,
welcome it. Stand there.
Wrap yourself in trust. Watch
the early waning moon descend.
Retreat into the blackness.
There is nothing else you can do.
Nothing else to do.
Now, in the womb
of the cosmos, restless, waiting,
deep into the ninth month,
you dream of the rebirth of
Light.
It is a long, dark night
when Light arrives.
Oh, how she brightens a room.
Oh, how thankful you are.
Light lingers, lengthens.
She opens her arms,
stretches subtly
beyond the next new moon
For eight days Light cries
out to you, assures you
it is safe now to
bring your whole self out,
out from the shadows.
You whirl and shimmer,
alive in the blue and gold glow
of the flames, a swirl of neon.
The ancestors breathe within you.
You melt onto the earth
sleek and flowing as
wax dripping from the candles,
elegant, surprising, mesmerizing.
The Countenance shines
upon your face, upon all the faces.
Again, you can see.
Again, you are seen.
Invitation:
8. Find a comfortable spot where sunlight filters through the trees — or where soft, diffused light meets shadow. Begin by noticing how the light moves across the forest. Watch how it dances on leaves, glows through moss, or glimmers on a spider’s web. (sight)
Watching the light makes me feel…….
Closing comments:
Leader: We are grateful for the gifts of the forest. We are grateful for the gifts of our senses. We are grateful for connection and community. We are grateful to be alive and to be together.
Let us take 3 cleansing breaths before we walk back to the picnic tables where we will light our hanukkiot.
Candles are placed in the hanukkiah from right to left. Candles are lit from left to right. Light the shamash, while holding, say the blessings.
First Blessing
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלוֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִידְשָׁנו בְּמִצוֹתָיו וְצִיוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל חַנֻכָה
Barukh atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melekh haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tsivanu l’hadlik ner shel Hanukkah.
Praised are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who made us holy through your commandments and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah lights.
Second Blessing
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלוֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁעָשָׂה נִסִּים לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה
Barukh atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melekh haolam, she-asah nisim la’avoteinu bayamim hahem bazman hazeh.
Praised are you, lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who performed wondrous deeds for our ancestors at this season.
Third Blessing
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלוֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהֶחֱיָּנוּ, וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיָּענוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה
Barukh atah adonai elohenu melekh ha’olam, shehekheyanu, v’kiyimanu, v’higiyanu lazman hazeh
Praised are you, lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who has given us life and sustained us and enabled us to reach this season.
