Imagine a living, green menorah as a symbol of our covenant to be guardians of God’s earth.
Rabbi Arthur Waskow of the Shalom Center conceived of the Green Menorah covenant, pointing out that both the original design of the menorah and the prophet Zachariah’s vision of the menorah (read as the Haftarah, prophetic reading on Hanukkah) are both very organic. Communities are urged to sign on to the Green Menorah Covenant, and to commit to both personal and political action to preserve the earth. Remembering the miracle of the oil, we need to reduce our dependency on oil and other fossil fuels through conservation and development of alternative energy sources.
“Just as the Menorah at the Holy Temple was rooted in the image of a tree, its branches and buds, so we need to renew the sense that our earth calls on us to light the Planetary Menorah by reducing our use of oil. The seven branches of the Green Menorah symbolize earthy actions in our own congregations and households. The seven lights in the Green Menorah symbolize seven actions to light up change in public policy beyond our own homes.”
Featured Image via The Shalom Center
Continue to contemplate the Light in Jerusalem, or return to the Gateway of Light
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