I dedicate this to the memory of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks who died last month. Rabbi Sacks who served as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991-2013 has been celebrated as a moral thinker and a globally renowned intellect.

I had quoted the following from Rabbi Sacks in my December 2018 blog, “For though my faith is not yours and your faith is not mine, if we each are free to light our own flame, together we can banish some of the darkness in the world.”

TODAY is the shortest day of the year and therefore the darkest. This also is the season of three important holidays.

Perhaps you lit the candles on your Hanukkah menorah from December 10-18. Perhaps you have been lighting the electric lights on your tree or your house leading up to Christmas on December 25. Perhaps you will light the first candle on your kinara on December 26 to begin the seven day holiday of Kwanzaa. Or maybe you just appreciate the effectiveness and beauty of more light during these long dark days.

It seems that this has been a perfect time for clergy of all faiths to remind us of the need to bring light into our world. The Reverend Carmen D’Amico of Muse, PA recently shared these words with his congregants, “We need to support each other…We need to be the light for each other.”

Find ways to follow his advice in your community. And I encourage you do the same with your family and friends. Whether by pen, computer or voice say, “You bring light into my life.”

-Harriet