Hanukkah resolutions
The practice is to establish personal intentions during the days of Hanukkah, in a manner akin to a household accounting of the soul. Although it may be done on any of the eight nights, some are accustomed to do so on the final night, after the kindling of all the lights, when the flames are nearing their end. The written intention is then placed beneath the menorah and stored together with it for the year, so that it remains concealed until the following Hanukkah, when it may be recalled and renewed.
Why is this important to you/your community?It is important because it takes the spiritual message of Hanukkah and brings it into personal life. Hanukkah is about light pushing back darkness, about dedication (ḥanukkat ha-bayit) and renewal after struggle. By writing intentions, a person is not only remembering a miracle of the past, but responding to it: How will I increase light in my own life this year?In a halakhic sense, this kind of practice supports avodat Hashem (service of God) and ḥeshbon ha-nefesh (moral self-accounting). It gives structure to reflection, much like the calendar gives structure to mitzvot. Placing the note beneath the menorah ties one’s private goals to a mitzvah act, so that personal growth is framed as sacred work rather than self-improvement alone.It is also important communally. When done as a family custom, it teaches children that Jewish time is not only for memory but for direction — that holidays are not just about what God once did for us, but about what we are meant to do now.In short:It transforms Hanukkah from a story we tell into a path we choose.
