Podcast Episode

The Living Jewishly Podcast

Sacred Time Kislev

Nov 19, 2021 Episode 55

Living Jewishly

“This time of year is not the end of life… times of rest and integration are just as much a part of life as times of momentum and activity.”

— Ganga Devi

In a period of darkness, sleep, and retreat, what can we learn from our dreams? And how can we integrate these teachings into our waking lives?

This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Sacred Time, a podcast dedicated to the healing art of the Hebrew calendar. This episode explores the month of Kislev, traditionally a time of slumber and dreams.

The letter associated with the month of Kislev is the samech, the fifteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which is formed as a closed circle without beginning or end. As the word samech means “to support,” it is fitting that the letter resembles a hug — and in this time of darkness, it’s comforting to imagine ourselves as being held.

Looking toward Channukah as a time of light, dedication, and grace within a time of darkness, this conversation examines themes of sleep, death, dreams, and light, and moves thoughtfully through the cyclical nature of the rhythms of creation.

Listen to this episode, and then visit livingjewishly.org/channukah to download the Living Jewishly Channukah Guide.

“We sleep and we wake — and the world does that. The seasons do that. Our sun does that.”

— Bluth

This‌ ‌episode discusses:‌ ‌

How dreams inspire, enrich, and borrow from our waking lives — and their connection to prophecy
How our relationship with sleep can inform and soften our relationship to death
The symbolic meaning behind Channukah falling across both Kislev and Tevet

‌

Highlights:‌ ‌

00:51 About Kislev

02:30 Samech

04:00 The circle of our daily rhythms

05:33 Entropy v. centropy

06:44 Dreams, prophecy & waking life

08:58 Death & sleep

11:14 Midrash: Adam & the Garden of Eden

15:09 Living Jewishly Channukah Guide

18:01 Channukah & Kislev

21:01 Darkness & light