[December 7, 2023] Tonight begins Chanukah, a celebration of the strength of the Jewish people against overwhelming odds, a commitment to light amidst the darkness. These days, we yearn for a time when Chanukah was a distant metaphor from the annals of history. This year, I’m almost grateful for the escape that the American commercialized Chanukah offers our kids: something simple and sweet and loving amidst this deep darkness. But we dare not look away from this essential truth: that the Jewish people and Jewish history are filled with hearts broken open, filled with the simultaneous experience of both overpowering darkness and stubborn, persistent light. …