This Chanukah arrives after a year that has stretched and shaken us, here in Israel and across the Jewish world. Even as some light has returned—hostages home, families reunited, certain dangers eased—we are still living with uncertainty, grief, exhaustion, and the long work of healing. It can feel difficult to enter the mindset of celebration when so much around us remains tender and unresolved.
 
These eight tehinot were written by Shira Lankin Sheps as companions for the candles—personal prayers in the spirit of Jewish women’s tefillah throughout the generations, offering language for nights when the heart is full, aching, grateful, or searching. Each night holds a different facet of this moment: resilience, visibility, softness, memory, community, and the fragile but enduring hope that continues to grow within us.
 
Our wish is that these prayers meet you gently, wherever you are this Chanukah. May the light you kindle steady your spirit, strengthen our people, and carry us toward healing and peace. May every hostage and soldier return home. And may this small, persistent flame guide us toward a redemption we are still brave enough to long for.