Kislev: Resources For the Hebrew Month of Kislev

The Month of Kislev According to the Book of Formation (Sefer Yetzirah)

Freedom of Choice

Parts 2 and 3 of this study on the paradox of God's omniscience vs. man's freedo of choice contains insight into the spiritual essence of Chanukah, which straddles the months of Kislev and Tevet, the Chanukah candles, and what to meditate upon when gazing upon them. We recommend reading the entire article to fully understand the topics related to Kislev and Chanukah.

Judaism and Science: The Lessons of Chanukah

The crux of the challenge that classical Western culture presents us with does not lie in science itself. The problem is with the undeserved status that it has held since the wars of the Maccabees against the ancient Greeks. To this day, the rational mind continues to be Western culture’s unquestioned authority, and scientists have become the priests of a new religion. The result is scorn and disdain at any attempt to offer new and daring ways of thought that climb out of the box of rational thought to heights science cannot even dream of. For this reason, victory over the wisdom of Greece does not mean the end of science. On the contrary, it means placing science in its proper place as a tool of the intellect, which, when illuminated correctly can certainly be used to augment our understanding of creation and the Creator. This last idea foreshadows the unification of Torah with science, one of the critical elements in the redemptive process. Click here to read the full article

Kislev: The Month of Dreams

Throughout the five books of the Torah, we find ten explicit dreams (dreamed by seven "dreamers") all in the Book of Genesis. In the Torah portions read during the month of Kislev, we find most of the dreams mentioned in the Torah. Click here to read the full article.

The Miracle of Chanukah

For the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement, Chanukah was his "favorite" holiday -- for Chanukah is the holiday of light, a light that fills the soul and warms the heart. Click here to read the full article.

Notable Dates in Kislev

• 2 Kislev - Yahrzeit of R. Meshulam Feivish Heller, the Yosher Divrei Emet
• 5 Kislev - Yahrzeit of the Maharsha
• 9 Kislev - Yahrzeit of R. Dovber the Mittler Rebbe of Chabad
• 12 Kislev - Yahrzeit of R. Avraham Dov of Avritsch, the Bat Ayin
• 19 Kislev - Yahrzeit of the Magid of Mezritch
• 19 Kislev - Alter Rebbe released from imprisonment and New Year of Chassidut
• 25 Kislev - First day of Chanukah