Judaism, GPS Theory and Our Eight Nights of Hanukkah: Let’s Light the Way

A Hanukkah reflection from Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg

Hanukkah arrives every year right in time, when it is hard to handle how much us northerners need to do in the dark. Light is essential. And precious. It is what gives us direction and hope.

Light is an action, not an accident.

In Jewish thought, light is not merely illumination. It is guidance. SIt points us toward who we are, who we have been and who we still hope to become. This year I find myself thinking about Hanukkah through the lens of GPS Theory. This idea teaches that people navigate life not in a straight line but through constant micro-adjustments. Like a GPS, we set a direction, we drift, we recalculate and we return to the path.

Judaism works in this same way.

Across more than 3,000 years, our people have traveled through continents, eras, upheavals and miracles. We have constantly reset, recalibrated and renewed ourselves. When we journeyed through the desert after leaving Egypt, God appeared as a pillar of fire at night, guiding our steps and assuring us that we were never alone. That ancient light became the spiritual ancestor of our Ner Tamid, the eternal flame that still burns in every synagogue. We tend that flame at Kol Ami, keeping it alive so that each generation can find its way.

Hanukkah is our annual reminder that even the smallest flame can guide the largest journey.

Only 15 Million of Us, and Each Community Is a Light

Today there are only about 15 million Jews in the entire world. That is a tiny fraction of humanity. Yet every Jewish community is a luminous point on the global map of Jewish life.

Kol Ami is one of those lights.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we are a spiritual waystation. We are a place where

• children learn blessings whispered by ancestors

• adults study texts older than empires

• prayers for healing rise together

• justice, joy and compassion are practiced with intention

• new traditions emerge while old ones remain alive

We are a point of light in the wider Jewish constellation.

We matter.

You matter.

This community matters.

When you show up, when you light candles, sing, give tzedakah, dance on Purim, break matzah on Passover, bless your children, sit shiva together and celebrate milestones, you are participating in the ancient routing of our people through time.

And when you support our community, you strengthen this light not only for today but also for the generations that will follow.

The Eight Nights as Eight Sacred Recalculations

Each candle can be a spiritual instruction. Each is an opportunity to reroute toward what matters most.

Join us each night for our Zoom candle lighting! 5:30pm

Register here

Night 1: Intention

What direction do you want your inner compass to point this year?

Night 2: Memory

Which traditions or teachings guide your steps?

Night 3: Justice

Where is the world asking you to bring more light?

Night 4: Joy

How do you allow delight, laughter, music and color into the dark?

Night 5: Community

Who supports you? Whom do you support? How can we hold one another?

Night 6: Learning

What wisdom is calling you to expand or deepen?

Night 7: Gratitude

What blessings keep appearing on your path, even in difficult moments?

Night 8: Hope

What future are you lighting your way toward?

Each flame is small, yet when they gather they transform the room, the home and the heart.

That is the mathematics of Jewish life. Small acts, multiplied across families and generations, create entire civilizations.

Light Up Kol Ami: Our Annual Hanukkah Celebration

Friday, December 19, 2025 | 5:30 to 9:00 PM

Register Here

As we light our menorahs at home, we also gather as a community to share the glow. Please join us for Light Up Kol Ami, our joyful annual Hanukkah dinner and celebration.

Schedule

5:30 PM Singing, dancing and fun

6:15 PM Potluck dinner

Dinner is potluck with latkes and sufganyiot provided by Kol Ami for a small fee of $10.

Please bring a dish assigned by the first letter of your last name.

A to M: Side dishes

N to Z: Entrees

(Kosher style. No shellfish or pork. No dishes that mix milk and meat.)

7:15 PM Menorah lighting, in person and on Zoom

7:30 PM Hanukkah service with music by the Eastside Jewish Community Choir

This celebration brings our whole community together in song, food and joy. It is one of our most beloved nights of the year.

Support Our Hanukkah Fundraiser

Only about 15 million Jews live on this planet. Communities like Kol Ami carry a sacred responsibility to shine our light and keep Jewish learning, ritual and compassion alive for the future.

Donate here!

When you donate to our Hanukkah Fundraiser, you help ensure that Kol Ami remains a beacon of Jewish life here in the Pacific Northwest.

Your support strengthens

• our education programs

• our youth and teens

• our elders

• our ritual life

• our doors staying open as a source of light for all who seek it

Every contribution matters.

Chat Urim Sameach!

May your Hanukkah be filled with warmth, wonder and bright pathways toward peace.

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