No matter how sophisticated we get, no matter where our science and technology boldly goes, there is a principle of physical reality that will never change. The lyrics of the song are:  You can’t start a fire without a spark. You also can’t start a fire without something to burn.  Whether you use wax candles or place wicks in oil on Chanukah, you need the raw material these substances provide in order to sustain the flame. A spark needs it kindling as much as the kindling needs it spark.

The spark that ignited the flame of Kabbalah Experience was a simple request by a friend eight years ago—I would like to learn with you, what would you like to teach? That question has led to the development of a two year core curriculum, advanced kabbalah study and our ever growing faculty, now numbering seven.

Is there a miraculous aspect to the oil that has now sustained the spark of Kabbalah Experience for eight years? We rely on oil in the form of tuition income from classes and programs but that would not be enough to keep the doors open and certainly not enough to offer scholarships. What has also sustained us and allowed us to grow are donations and grants. The generosity of our Board of Directors, students and people from our community is remarkable. I would like to specifically thank Rose Community Foundation for our latest significant grant from them. Our Jewish community is particularly blessed with the Allied Jewish Federation and Rose Foundation’s commitment to their Jewish Life program area. Without their vision and support, Kabbalah Experience (and many other organizations and institutions) could not share their light with so many others.

While donations remain an important fuel for us, there is nothing more valuable to us than being able to share the spark of spiritual learning. Share the light and refer someone to begin their kabbalah studies. Spiritual transformation is a good New Year’s resolution. Classes begin January 9^th.

Chanukah means dedication—the Macabees who were priests (re)dedicated the Temple and its vessels including the Menorah (the candelabrum).  As legend goes the Macabees found one small cruise of oil. Once lit, the Menorah is to be continuously lit. Lighting it, though they assumed the oil would run out, is the basis of the miracle of Chanukah. We teach in class that the confluence of a miracle is the human reaching out to the Divine; take the initial first step and matters fall into place.

Putting things in motion is symbolized this holiday by the Sivivon-dreidel which we spin to see what letter it will fall on. No matter how finely crafted the dreidel it will eventually stop spinning and fall down. So it is with all physical reality. The principle of gravity though contains an interesting paradox—gravity is the force that has things fall and remain in motion (remain ‘standing’).

I would like to address a “problem” that is often brought up especially at Chanukah time in the United States. It is the problem identified as assimilation. Many Jewish leaders and organizations at this time of year issue the call to fight assimilation—underlying this concern is the ultimate fear that the Jewish people will spin itself out of existence. If we look back on the history of the Macabees it was indeed assimilation that they were fighting against. At that time Jews were influenced by the Greek culture. It is hard to discern which was more distressing to the Macabee priests—the anti-Jewish decrees of the Greeks or the internal assimilation of the Jews. The Macabees took matters in their own hand and repelled the Greek forces.

The strategy though for combating the imposed religious tyranny of the Greeks could not then or throughout subsequent generations be the same for ‘combating’ assimilation. Indeed the wise have always seen that regarding free choice one cannot beat away darkness, rather one must enlighten.

A curious law prescribes that the Chanukah candles should not be lit; they should ignite on their own. How is this done? The lighter brings the flame close enough to the wick that the transfer of heat ignites the wick. This was the custom of the High Priest in the Temple when lighting the Menorah and is a tradition of the Kabbalah to light the Chanukah candles in this manner.

The wiser than the wise begin to see assimilation not as a threat but as the way gravity operates on the Jewish people. We fall and we stay in motion.  If we close ourselves off to assimilation then we simply spin in our own orbit. Can one imagine the Jewish people still being around if it has isolated itself among the nations? Of course there are challenges when one does not isolate and insulate. The wiser say: enlighten and the flame will continue to burn brightly.

The letters on the dreidel (Nun-Gimmel-Heh-Shin) have the numerical value of Mashiach—the Messiah. When the dreidel stops it falls down on only one aspect of reality. The Messiah will assimilate all aspects of reality and we will spin into one.

Come join us for some dreidel spinning, a meditative lighting of the Menorah and other games on the last night of Chanukah, Tuesday December 27 6-8pm at the Goldberger Center.

Last week as I watched the clock wind down on the Denver Broncos, I, as I am sure many others thought, the phenomenon ends here.  And then Tebow did it again. Whether he and the Broncos win or lose from here on, I want to share what I experienced in the ending moment of last week’s game.  It contained so many basic teachings from the Kabbalah. I highlight a few.

1.     Our task: turn darkness into light

In our anticipation of Chanukah, it is the season to be thinking about the miraculous and transforming darkness into light.  The darker it seems the more light can penetrate. Tebow and the Broncos have a unique way of pulling out victory from the most dark, improbable circumstances.  While football is a game, it is also part of life—and the ability to remain positive in the face of darkness is a part of tikkun (repairing the world). The light shines even brighter when we face the darkness.

2.     Predictable miracles

It takes a billion things for any one thing to occur. So many things have to go “right” and go “wrong”. It is not always clear what is right and wrong—but we can point to what happens and does not happen. So many things occurred in the last two minutes of the game (and then in the overtime period) that created the outcome. In football, they call it the two-minute warning. For Tebow and the Broncos it might better be called the two-minute opportunity. The miraculous is about how it all coordinates; the timing, the happenings and the darkness with the light. Then we take a further step in awareness and see the miraculous in it all.

3.     Present moment awareness

The past is not material, the future is not material. What matters is the next play. Take care of that and the next play. And the next.  Football strategy may include sequencing of plays but each play is its own present moment. Tebow has an instinct for getting as far up the field as possible in the present (waning) moments of the game. When that is exhausted then his next play is to leave it for others to lend their hand (or foot) to the cause of advancing the ball or scoring.

Enjoy the winter break and the holidays. It is the darkest time of the year to enjoy the light, the miracles and the present moment.

Mark your calendars for upcoming events: KE Live with Tina Collen this Thursday night at 7:30, Intro to Kabbalah for new students Monday December 19^th 6-7 pm and the KE Chanukah party Tuesday December 27^th 6-8 pm all at the Goldberger Center.

Visit the Kabbalah Experience Website to learn more about our classes and events.

We are all connected. In the world of Noel Cunningham the connections were strung together to create a tapestry of love.  Food is one of the universal languages of love—and in his capacity as owner of Strings restaurant he would welcome the rich and the poor and feed them with love. I got to know Noel through his connection to Dr. Rick (Hodes) who saves and improves the lives of the indigent and homeless people of Ethiopia. Last year Noel spearheaded a dinner of unconditional love to support Dr. Rick’s work in Ethiopia. Rita and I were graciously invited by Robyn and Bob Loup and that evening I saw many of our KE community in attendance—supporting the work of Dr. Rick.  Noel helped raise that evening over $500,000 for Dr. Rick’s hospital.

A string of life was severed this week. Noel Cunningham is dead. His funeral will be this Friday.  I don’t know why he called his restaurant “Strings” but I would like to develop (in his honor) a notion of strings for our KE community.  This is not a colored string some Kabbalah communities encourage individuals to wear, it is a string that we can develop—an invisible string– stronger even than any rope with knots. Read the rest of this entry

We rescheduled Kabbalah Live! Tina Collen to Thursday,  December 15th.

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email liz@kabbalahexperience.com with questions.