November-Thanksgiving & Kislev

The Hebrew Month of Kislev begins on 25 Kislev or November 21, 2025. It's the ninth month of the Jewish calendar, counting from Nisan (as the first month). 

As Americans, we think of November as Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday.

FYI, gratitude is expressed and practiced everyday in Jewish life. When we wake up, we recite the Modeh Ani prayer. 

"Modeh ani l’fanecha, melech chai v’kayam, shehechezarta bi nishmati b’chemla, raba emunatecha" 

It translates literally as “Thank You, I.” The point is that the very first word that comes out of our mouths should be one of gratitude. We often spend the rest of our waking day focused on ourselves, our needs, our work. So we want to ensure that we never forget to have the foundation of our day be “Thank You.” (Source: My Jewish Learning) 

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving. We've learned to reduce the amount of food we cook. For example, we don't like green bean casserole anymore, so that's not on the menu.

For the first time this year, we're having a roast. My hubby doesn't like turkey that much and even a small turkey breast has too much food for 3 people. But, I'm having a turkey lunch with a friend the Monday before Thanksgiving. 

I'm feeling thankful, grateful and blessed this year for my family and friends. 

Kislev is best known for the holiday of Hanukkah which starts at sundown on December 14. Chanukah has various spellings because it's a Hebrew word that doesn't have a phonetic match in English, so it's transliterated differently, depending on the pronunciation. 

The message of Chanukah is the eternal power of light over darkness—good over evil. It actually honors the miraculous victory of the Maccabees, a small Jewish army, over the mighty Syrian-Greek empire. 

Not wanting to celebrate war, the rabbis emphasized that Chanukah commemorates the miracle of the oil. When the Jews lit the Temple menorah after the war, they only had one small jug of pure oil. Miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days, and the sages instituted the eight-day festival of Chanukah during which we kindle the menorah nightly.

Speaking of oil, Chanukah involves eating items made with oil like potato latkes and sufganiyot (donuts, this is more of an Israeli custom that is growing in popularity in the U.S.). I'll take latkes every day of the week. 

Special jewelry offer for this week

Snowflake Earrings left 8" clear crystal (were $36)

Snowflake Earrings right 6" clear crystal (were $34)  

Have 2 pair 

Price is now $26 each, including shipping. 

Click on the image to purchase 

http://paypal.me/linorstore/26

What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?