Adapted from “Shaarei Simcha, Gates of Joy.”

First Night: Dedicate tonight to family harmony, simcha (joy) and gratitude that we have reached this season of celebrating another Chanukah, appropriate as this is the only night we say Shehechiyanu, the prayer that recognizes our appreciation of reaching this moment in our lives. So let’s reach out and touch someone: pick up the phone and call our friends and relatives and wish them a Happy Chanukah. And since according to chasidic tradition we have until Chanukah to make amends, if there is someone we wronged let’s make an effort to patch things up.

Second Night: Make this a night dedicated to increasing and reenergizing our Torah study.

Let’s make a promise, bli neder, that this will be the year that we dedicate ourselves to making more time on a weekly basis for Jewish learning, for example, joining a study group or participating online with Jewish learning sites. The new Daf Yomi cycle begins in January and that’s a great way to start every day (or conclude our day) with learning. And not only for men: there are more and more opportunities for women’s learning programs as well. Finally, let’s not forget that Jewish educational institutions need our support, whether through our financial donations or through using our brain power to see how we can help make them more affordable for all.

Third Night: Make a toast tonight to the State of Israel, a true miracle in our time. As the late Prime Minister David Ben Gurion once said, being a realist in Israel means believing in miracles. Whatever our political persuasions or viewpoints, make this a night of celebration. Let’s call a friend or relative in Israel and wish them a Happy Chanukah. Make a pledge to visit or revisit Israel and make our voices heard in support of the Jewish state. Let’s fill our tables with Israeli food and wine—and don’t forget, along with the latkes, some sufganiyot, Israel doughnuts (for some of us, we will start our diets another night!).

Fourth Night: This is a night to dedicate to spending more quantity and quality time with our family and friends. If our family is at home or nearby during the week, aside from Shabbat, let’s make sure to sit down for a family meal. Turn off our phones and TV. Let’s reach out to those in our community who are alone and invite them in to light candles with us.

Fifth Night: This is the night to emphasize chesed; what can we do to help those less fortunate—the poor, the hungry or victims of violence? Make a pledge to volunteer at a soup kitchen, increase our donations to tzedakah or practice some instant chesed and buy some extra gloves, mittens and knit hats and distribute to those in need.

Sixth Night: Tonight is the start of Shabbat and the perfect moment to reach out to not-yet-affiliated friends, family or neighbors and share our joy of Judaism at our Shabbat tables. It’s also an opportunity for us at our Shabbat tables to enhance our meals with words of Torah. We can go around and ask those present to share some words of Torah, as well as something meaningful that happened during the week. If we are joined at our table by those not yet involved in synagogue or Jewish life, this can be a great entryway for people to see the beauty of Jewish life. And for us who are involved, let’s see if we can make a pledge to become more involved—whether coming to a weekly minyan in addition to Shabbat services, or joining a shul committee.

Seventh Night: The Talmud teaches that what leaves our mouth is as important as what enters. Let’s make a promise to refrain from idle speech. Gossip is so harmful and its effects are wide reaching. Many of us are familiar with the following story: A man once came to a rabbi to say he wanted to make amends for something derogatory he had said about a neighbor and wanted to know how he could make it up to the neighbor. The rabbi told him to take a feather pillow and go to the center of town, open it up, and as the feathers floated away make sure to grab each one and put them back into the pillow. The man protested to the rabbi that that would be impossible as the wind would invariably carry some away and he couldn’t grab all of them. The rabbi pointed out to him that gossip and slander function the same way; once they are out of the bag, so to speak, the effects are so far-reaching that we can never fully repair the damage.

Eighth Night: This final night is a perfect opportunity to dedicate ourselves to loving all Jews. Tradition teaches us that the Second Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed 2,000 years ago because of boundless hate. So tonight on the last night of Chanukah, as we recall the rededication of the Temple, let’s make it a night of boundless love for all Jews no matter what their affiliation. Let’s find ways to reach across denominational divides and strengthen our ties and love for all Jews. Remember what unites us is greater than what divides us. And most of all, be happy: it’s Chanukah!