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L'Or v'Or, L'Dor v'Dor:
From Light to Light, From Generation to Generation
Created by Barbara Lerman-Golomb

Goal: To have an intergenerational discussion about issues of the environment and energy.

This should take place during Hanukkah between a child and a parent/grandparent/senior citizen friend. The pair should follow this sheet to guide them through the activity. The bullet points mark specific questions or points to address as you read. (You can also adapt this for a larger group of mixed ages.)

Candle lighting:
Before lighting the Hanukkiah as usual, find an extra candle to set up separately nearby. (It can be a long burning candle, etc. The important thing is that it isn't part of the Hanukkiah; traditionally we don't use the light from the eight ritual candles for functional purposes. The shammash however, may be used, as it is only used to light the Hanukkiah.) Light the Hanukkah candles and recite the usual brachot. Then, with the shammash, light the other candle.

Hanukkah is a time where we celebrate the renewal of the eternal flame and rededication in the Temple. In modern times, our Temple is the planet earth and like the Maccabees, we need to defend our right for cleaner, sustainable energy to preserve it. Like the Maccabee, we know it's the right thing to do. And like the eternal flame, renewable energy sources will carry on from generation to generation. This candle, an "Or Chadash" or new light, symbolizes our rededication to this cause.

Recite together the following Yotzer Or prayer from the daily morning service:

(From Spirit in Nature by Matt Biers-Ariel, Deborah Newburn and Michal Fox)
Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech ha'olam, yotzer or uvorei hoshech, oseh shalom uvorei et-hakol. Hamei'ir la'aretz v'ladarim alein'hah b'rahamim.
"Blessed is the one who forms light and creates darkness, who makes peace and creates all things, who with mercy sheds light upon the earth and upon all who dwell on it."

(You may also want to recite the "Let There Be Light" blessing from this kit.)

Shut off the lights and continue reading by the candle:

(Adapted from "Renewing Creation Daily," Let the Earth Teach You Torah, Shomrei Adamah, Ellen Bernstein & Dan Fink)
"Illuminator of the world and all its creatures with mercy; in Your goodness You daily renew creation. How bountiful are Your works, Eternal One with wisdom You have fashioned them all. The Ruler Who was alone and exalted before creation, Who is praised, glorified, and upraised since the days of old. Eternal God, with your abundant compassion, be compassionate to us--Master of our power, our rocklike stronghold, shield of our salvation, be a stronghold for us...

Through God's Goodness creation is renewed daily. As it is said (Give thanks) to the One Who makes the great luminaries, for God's kindness endures forever. May You shine a new light on Zion, and may we all merit light speedily. Praise to You, Adonai, Who creates the luminaries."

• This prayer tells us that God renews creation daily. What does this mean?
  
  
• Does it mean that every day there is a new sun? Such a notion obviously defies our scientific knowledge of nature. So what is this prayer talking about?
  
  
• How can it be realistically applied to nature? How does it relate to the Jewish perspective on the world?
  
  
• In what ways do you experience the renewal of creation in your life?

The Jewish view of creation as an ongoing process that renews itself rather than a completed act makes evolutionary sense. It reveals itself in the cycles of nature that can provide us with clean, sustainable, renewable energy: the energy cycle, the water cycle, the soil cycle, the air cycle. This notion also speaks to us in terms of tikkun olam and the work of creation being incomplete – it is not ours to complete the task, but neither ours to desist from it.

The concept of tikkun olam relies on a partnership among generations to learn from each other and work together.

• How was/is Hanukkah celebrated in each of your generations? Were there different traditions in generations past? Share a favorite Hanukkah memory from your childhood with each other.
  
  
• What has changed in our energy use over the generations (e.g. What uses of energy weren't invented in your grandparents' days? What appliances weren't part of their daily life? Was energy conservation an issue?)
  
  
• What do you think you can do in your own life to embrace the task of conserving energy and preserving God's creation?
  
  
• How could your current forms of energy be replaced? How could they conserve electricity in your home? What appliances could you live without or use less?

To celebrate this Hanukkah, make a resolution together to rededicate yourselves to conserving energy in your own lives, identifying specific actions you can take over the next year.

Download a printable version of this document (Adobe Acrobat PDF)