Happy Hanukkah! As we reflect this week on light and miracles, we invite you to join us for our many opportunities to celebrate together: www.WiseLA.org/hanukkah

In 2012, #GivingTuesday was born. Born and incubated at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, #GivingTuesday was a simple idea: a day, in the midst of a heavy commercial season, that encourages people to do good. Nine years later, it is now a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

Long before it was customary to give even small gifts—and certainly long before the commercial excesses of American Hanukkah celebrations—halachic authorities suggested that one should increase one’s tzedakah, or charitable giving, during the holiday. Little did they know how convenient that might turn out to be for American tax purposes!

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the dynastic Chabad rabbi of the 20th century, was even more specific. In Hebrew, the word Hanukkah is derived from the same root as the word hinuch, or education. This, he taught, suggests that Hanukkah in particular is an appropriate time to invest in Jewish education—if not for yourself and your family, then for the greater community.

We invite you to continue this tradition. This #GivingTuesday, we hope you will consider a gift—or another gift—to Stephen Wise Temple and Schools, allowing us to dedicate and rededicate ourselves to Jewish education for all ages.

— Rabbi Sari Laufer