Around the world, families are celebrating Hanukkah, an eight-day festival of lights marked by a nightly menorah lighting, prayers and holiday foods.
Even for those who don't celebrate, the holiday can inspire moments of reflection on health and well-being, said Jason Klein, a rabbi and associate chaplain for the Jewish community at Brown University. The holiday, he said, is inherently mindful.
"Hanukkah candles are meant to be looked at for their own sake - we're not going to take a menorah and walk around the house to see by its light," he said. "We're going to pause. We light the candles to remember the miracles and the wonders."
Moishe Steigmann, also known as The Mindful Rabbi and founder and director of Own Your Judaism, agrees that Hanukkah offers unlimited opportunities for mindfulness. Lighting candles, whether it's a menorah or another candle, is a chance for quiet reflection no matter your religion.
"The beautify and the wonder of the flames of candles for Hanukkah really help remind each of us of the light we have within ourselves, and how we can use that to help and inspire and activate other people's lives."
Steigmann suggests taking anywhere from 10 seconds or 10 minutes to stare at a candle's flame. Allow yourself to be mesmerized. "What does that activate? What does that light up in you?" he said. "How can you transfer this heat, this energy of the fire and bring your energy out into the world?"
Klein said he sees a strong connection between the story of Hanukkah and the various domains of personal well-being. The holiday marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in 2nd century BC. According to tradition, the Jews found only a small lamp that contained one night's worth of oil at the temple, but miraculously, it lasted for eight nights.
"This particular idea of the power of the small in the face of the insurmountable kept coming back to me," Klein said.
Klein recently wrote for the website RitualWell about the opportunity Hanukkah presents for mindful reflection. He said he advises his students and others to use the eight days to reflect on what are known as the eight dimensions of health: emotional, environmental, intellectual, financial, work, physical, social and spiritual.
Here are some questions Klein said you can ask yourself to get started.
Emotional: Love anchors the holiday and many Jewish traditions. Ask yourself: Am I giving love in a way that is satisfying? Am I getting the support I need from my family, friends, therapist or others?
Environmental: The menorah at the center of the holiday tradition is itself a reminder of conservation, Klein noted. “Part of what I love about the Hanukkah story is that the Talmud tells us that a little bit of something can go such a long way. I think for me this sometimes means, how large do we need to live? What’s our footprint? Are there other ways to live large that aren’t about taking up more space than we need?”
Intellectual: “When you are having a conversation with someone and you’re feeling uncomfortable, can you push yourself to ask one more question?” Klein said. “Every interaction we have with someone, every conversation is an opportunity to experience more truth.”
Financial: Use the holiday to think about your financial health. Are you satisfied with how you spend and save? Are you supporting causes you believe in? Does your family spending reflect your values?
Work: Are you finding purpose in your daily work? Ask yourself: When do I live to work? When do I work to live?
Physical: Is your body truly nourished? Are you feeling shame and disempowerment about your body? Are you offering support for body positivity for all types of bodies?
Social: Think about the people you spend time with. Are you tending to your relationships? Are the people in your life giving you the support you need?
Spiritual: Is there a spiritual practice you’ve been wanting to explore? If you’ve been thinking about prayer study, meditation, mindfulness or some other form of personal reflection, how can you take the next step to explore it?
Klein said he advises his students to think about one of these areas each night of Hanukkah or to pick a few to reflect on over the course of the holiday. This holiday, with the tragic events in Israel and Gaza, the lessons of Hanukkah are particularly relevant, he said.
“For me, this idea of light in the midst of darkness, it may be cliché but it never gets old,” he said. The story of the small jar of oil “and all its potential, reminds us of what is possible.”