The best miracles could be the ones we make ourselves, every day of the year

By Scott Skillman
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December is a month steeped in the stories and expectations of miracles.

Across different faiths and cultures, this season is the time when we remember powerful acts of divine intervention, from the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days during Hanukkah to the Christian belief in the miraculous birth of Jesus.

These ancient stories serve as anchors, reminding us of the extraordinary ways the divine intersects with the ordinary world.

But miracles are not just events locked in history books. They happen every day, often hiding in plain sight, waiting for us to open our eyes and our hearts to recognize them.

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Hanukkah brings light to our mikdash me’at as we gather to celebrate the holiday

By Rabbi Jennifer Lewis
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Hanukkah reminds us of our longing for light, and the Torah portions traditionally read at this time of year reflect upon the building of the mikdash — a dwelling place for God on earth, literally, a “place for the holy,” which we often translate as “the Temple.”

Our synagogues are sometimes called a mikdash me’at, or a “miniature Temple.”

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Check, please! It’s the season for heshbon hanefesh — an accounting of our souls

By Rabbi Jennifer Lewis
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L’shana tovah tikateyvu, Happy New Year, and may you be inscribed for good in the coming year!

I’m looking forward to returning to Terre Haute to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Days of Awe, and the coming year, 5786, with the United Hebrew Congregation community!

We have entered the Hebrew month of Elul, the month during which tradition teaches us to begin hearing the call of the shofar and to prepare for the upcoming High Holy Days (the Days of Awe) of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

During this month of preparation, we can take concrete actions to prepare. And our preparation goes beyond planning a menu for Rosh Hashanah dinner and finding a good recipe for honey cake (though I encourage you to do that as well, and please share if you have a good one!). Preparation means we can begin in earnest a process called heshbon hanefesh — an accounting of our souls.

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