Does your family have any special holiday traditions during this festive time of year?

Most of us do, including Yael Eckstein, who shares her special family traditions for Hanukkah. Yael explains how this holiday inspires faith and light that have kept the Jewish people hopeful during the darkest of times in their history. And Hanukkah’s message of light is still so relevant for both Jews and Christians today.

So join Yael as she shares Hanukkah traditions that celebrate God as our light. And then, let’s all—as people of faith—share the light of that faith with someone we know who is struggling this holy season.

This Hanukkah, let’s remember all the light God brings to our lives and how this holiday has inspired faith in those who desperately need it.

Learn more about this season of light.

Hanukkah, a season of God’s light and miracles, is probably one of the most well-known Jewish holidays, primarily because of its proximity to Christmas. But do you know what this special season celebrates?

Today, Yael tells us a miraculous story of courage and faith in God that was a huge turning point in history for the Jewish people. She turns to Exodus 15:11: “Who among the gods is like you, LORD? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” Those biblical words became the battle cry for all the group of God’s children who became known as the Maccabees.

Even though they were much weaker and smaller in number than the Greek army, which at the time of the Hanukkah story was the mightiest army in the world, the Maccabees served our mighty God. In doing so, they showed what courage and faith can accomplish.

So, what’s Hanukkah’s spiritual lesson for us today? Every small step of courage we take can impact the life of someone else. We never know what miracles a courageous act can create. Hanukkah is a reminder that a single act of bravery can be turned into one of God’s miracles!

Learn more about this season of miracles and light.

Does you ever feel like you’re drifting through life? Sometimes it can feel like we’re on autopilot, going through our daily routines automatically, living according to our whims or our circumstances in the moment, never really choosing what we want.

But on today’s podcast, we’re going to talk about what we can do each day in order to get closer to the life we really want—and the life that God wants for us. If we live life aimlessly, we probably won’t like where our lives end up. But if we’re clear on where we want to be, we can make a plan to get there.

Today, Yael reminds us that we are never alone: God is always with us, guiding us and loving us, every moment of our lives.

Today’s episode looks at the Bible passage that decided from whom Israel would come. Learn more about the 12 Tribes of Israel in our Learn Center.