Rodef Sholom Upcoming Chanukah Events:

Eights Days & Nights of Mitvzah Moments

Yehi 'or—let there be light this holiday season though love, compassion, and willingness to help
others through their own darkness.

Help us spread light to our community, just as the candles of our menorahs flood our hearts and homes with warmth! Feel free to select from the options in our Mitzvah Moments section to get started on giving back during the Festival of Lights, or create your own (and share them with us!)

1. Throughout the month of December, please bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate to our Holiday Toy Drive, benefiting Canal Alliance. All toys can be dropped in the bins at the Justice Center (in our Lobby).

2. Help us ensure that no one goes hungry this holiday season. Drop your donations of non-perishable food and canned goods in our bins at the Justice Center. The donations will go to the SF-Marin Food Bank and the JFCS Food Pantry.

3. Spread the light of the third night of Chanukah, and serve dinner at Jonathan's Place shelter on Tuesday, December 16.
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4. Make bag lunches and give St. Vincent de Paul's clients the gift of a full stomach on the 7th night of Chanukah.
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5. Become a Volunteer Tutor or Mentor: The Marin Volunteer Tutor and Mentor Initiative, created by Rodef Sholom congregant, Bob Rosenberg, is a new resource that provides a curated list of local opportunities, making it simple to match your talents, time, and interests to a volunteer role. LEARN MORE & SIGN UP HERE

6. Volunteer to make and serve Christmas dinner on December 25th, for residents at Jonathan's Place shelter in San Rafael. SIGN UP HERE

7. The Rodef Sholom Immigrant Rights Legal Fund helps pay attorneys’ fees for those with immigration related issues. Our Immigrant Rights Team works closely with Marin Interfaith Council, the Multi-Cultural Center of Marin, and other groups to help those separated from their families. Make your tax-deductible gift on the Congregation Rodef Sholom website or note “Immigrant Rights Legal Fund” on your check. Click here to get started, and then choose “Immigrant Rights Legal Fund."

8. Help us combat climate change in California and nationally, by supporting Dayenu's mission of building a dynamic, multi-generational movement of American Jews courageously confronting the climate crisis. DONATE HERE

MITZVAH MOMENTS

Chanukah: Who, What, Where, When & Why

What: Chanukah, one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays, is a festive eight-day celebration that for many people falls during the darkest, coldest season of the year. Also called the Festival of Lights, the holiday is often celebrated with singing and playing special songs and games (dreidel), and eating foods prepared in oil including latkes, sufganiyot, bimuelos (fried dough puffs) and keftes de prasas (leek patties). Candles are lit for each of the nights of the holiday on a branched menorah (also called a hanukkiyah). 

Why: At what is the coldest, darkest time of the year for many people, we celebrate by bringing light and warmth into our homes, into our communities and into the world around us. In the Talmud, the rabbis taught that the mitzvah of Chanukah, is a “candle for each man and his household” (the modern Reform understanding is that this text refers to everyone, not just men). So the actual mitzvah, or commandment, of the holiday is to kindle the Chanukah lights at home!

Who: Chanukah, meaning "dedication" in Hebrew, commemorates the victory of a small group of Jewish rebels (led by Judah Maccabee and his brothers, collectively known as “the Maccabees”) over the armies of Syria in 165 B.C.E. and the subsequent liberation and "rededication" of the Temple in Jerusalem.