Hanukkah Night 3, 5776 - Within and Without

Text by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen
Photos by Gabi Mezger

Baruch atah Adonai - Blessed are You Adonai --

Blessed is the spark of G!d --

of Life,

of Light,

of Specialness,

that burns within

your being,

within every living being.

Blessed is the Spark.

Eloheinu melech ha'olam - Our G!d, Sovereign of the Universe --

We acknowledge You,

Source of All,

from before time began

to the end of time, 

and beyond,

from this pin point of place

to the farthest ends of the Universe,

and farther still.

We acknowledge You.

As the words of the blessings

enter the atmosphere,

as the match kindles the candles,

as the lights glow in the night,

may blessing sparkle in your being,

surge forth, encircling the Universe,

touching all that is, 

from your inner most vulnerable pin point

to the ends of the Universe

and beyond.

May blessing blossom

in every corner 

of the cosmos.

Rabbi Katy Allen is a board certified chaplain and serves as an Eco-Chaplain and the Facilitator of One Earth Collaborative, a program of Open Spirit. She is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all year long. She is the co-founder and President pro-tem of the Boston-based Jewish Climate Action Network, and a hospice chaplain. She received her ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in 2005. 

Gabi Mezger photographs wherever she goes.