✦ The Chai Light
Shining a light on extraordinary Jewish lives, one month at a time.
Chai — חַי — is the Hebrew word for life. It is also the number 18, a symbol of life and good luck, which is why Jews give gifts in multiples of 18 and toast l'chaim — "to life."
The Chai Light is the name of our monthly featured spotlight. Each month, one person's full profile is presented as The Chai Light: the life told in depth, the work explained, the Jewish story honored, and the lesson drawn out. It is the heart of Jew of the Month — the one place on the site where we stop, slow down, and look closely at a single life.
The light is also the point. These are lives that lit up the world — in science, in art, in law, in laughter. A light, shone on a life, lets the rest of us see by it.
This month's Chai Light is Albert Einstein — October 2026, value: Curiosity.