Shavuot is almost here!

Well, friends, Shavuot finally arrives tomorrow night, May 18, at sundown.

I hope that, since you have discovered at least 10 reasons to commemorate this festival, you will have a Chag Sameach, a Happy Holiday!

How will YOU be observing Shavuot this year?

Top Ten Reasons to Celebrate Shavuot: Reason #10!!!

As if you needed yet another reason to celebrate this important festival, here is the ultimate reason: It allows us to celebrate the Torah and the Ten Commandments!

Top Ten Reasons to Celebrate Shavuot: Reason #9

The Forgotten Holiday – Why?

Shavuot is, as I have said before, tragically ignored by many of our congregants. I have at least three reasons why that might be:

1. Usually falls after the Religious School year, so we barely get to teach it to our students
   
2. It doesn't hold the same emotional impact as Pesach, and it isn't celebrated in the home
   
3. It doesn't include the same meaningful visual object as Sukkot
   

Do you have any other ideas of why we might not focus enough on Shavuot?

Top Ten Reasons to Celebrate Shavuot – Reason #7

Ready for the 7^th Reason to Celebrate Shavuot?

We have the privilege of remembering our loved ones who have passed away in the ritual of Yizkor. This memorial service takes place 4 times throughout the year (not just Yom Kippur!).

Thus, the four times are:

1. Yom Kippur
   
2. Sukkot
   
3. Pesach
   
4. Shavuot

Top Ten Reasons to Celebrate Shavuot – Reason #6

This one is going to blow your mind – There are NO actual Mitzvot associated with the holiday!

Other than abstention from work, tradition includes no laws for this festival. Rather, there are many customs associated with it:

• Eating dairy products (perhaps due to Song of Songs referring to Torah as similar to "milk and honey under your tongue" – Shir HaShirim 4:11). So, be sure to have some cheesecake, blintzes, and a milkshake to celebrate!
  
• The Book of Ruth is traditionally read. Since Ruth is considered a convert to Judaism, she is heralded as someone who readily chooses to "accept Torah."
  
• Decorating with Greenery, because of the connection to the harvest, as well as a midrash that teaches that Mt. Sinai suddenly blossomed with flowers in anticipation of the giving of Torah.
  
• Confirmation – Reform and many Conservative congregations will often hold Confirmation ceremonies on or close to Shavuot for 10^th graders. The celebration of Receiving Torah is a natural time to honor our students' continued learning of Jewish tradition.
  
• Tikkun Layl Shavuot, an all-night study of Torah and other Jewish texts. Traditionally, The Tikkun Leil Shavuot ("Rectification for Shavuot Night") consists of
  
  • excerpts from the beginning and end of each of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (including the reading in full of several key sections such as the account of the days of creation, The Exodus, the giving of the Ten Commandments and the Shema)
    
  • The 63 chapters of the Mishnah.
    
  • Sefer Yetzirah (a Kabbalistic text),
    
  • the 613 commandments as enumerated by Maimonides
    
    
  • excerpts from the Zohar, the central text of Kabbalah.
    

Top Ten Reasons to Celebrate Shavuot – Reason #5

The fifth reason to celebrate the wonderful festival of Shavuot!

Shavuot is Connected to the Harvest!

Shavuot was the first day to bring Bikkurim, First Fruits, as an offering to the Temple in Jerusalem.

Bikkurim were selected from the Seven Species known to grow in the Land of Israel:

Wheat

Barley

Grapes

Figs

Pomegranates

Olives

Dates

Top Ten Reasons to Celebrate Shavuot! Reason #4

Need another reason to celebrate Shavuot? Check this one out!

Reason #4:

Concludes the Counting of the Omer

We count a Week of Weeks – (7 X 7 Days = 49 Days) starting on the 2^nd day of Pesach. On the 50^th Day, we celebrate Shavuot.

The Counting of the Omer symbolizes the time between our Exodus from Egypt and the receiving of Torah. Anticipation for this exciting moment is great!

Top Ten Reasons to Celebrate Shavuot: Reason #3

Let's learn something new about Shavuot –

Reason #3:

A "Founding Member" of the Shalosh Regalim – the Three Pilgrimage Festivals

What are the other two holidays? Pesach and Sukkot

Top Ten Reasons to Celebrate Shavuot: Reason #2

As we continue our list, here is Reason #2 for why we should celebrate the festival of Shavuot:

Reason #2: Shavuot by any other name…

How many festivals have THIS MANY names?!?!

Chag HaShavuot ~ The "Festival of Weeks" (Exodus 34:22)

Chag Matan Torateinu ~ The Festival of the Giving of our Torah

Chag HaKatzir ~ The Festival of the Harvest (Exodus 23:16)

Yom HaBikkurim ~ The Day of First Fruits (Numbers 28:26)

Atzeret ~ Solemn Conclusion, the name given to the holiday by the Mishnah and the Talmud, due to its being the conclusion of the weeks after Pesach.

Pentecost – Because the holiday falls 50 days after Pesach, Hellenistic Greeks gave it this name, meaning Fiftieth Day.

Top Ten Reasons to Celebrate Shavuot – Reason #1

Shalom!

We are coming closer and closer to the tragically underestimated holiday of Shavuot, the festival on which we celebrate the Giving of Torah. Over the next ten days, I will be sharing my personal top ten list of reasons to celebrate this terrific, important holiday. Here we go!

Reason #1:

Z'man Matan Torateinu: The Time When We were Given our Torah

Shavuot celebrates the day on which we were given Torah, including the Ten Commandments, at Mt. Sinai.

It is noteworthy that the holiday is called the time of the giving of the Torah, rather than the time of the receiving of the Torah. The sages point out that we are constantly in the process of receiving the Torah, that we receive it every day, but it was first given at this time. Thus it is the giving, not the receiving, that makes this holiday significant.

Chag Sukkot Sameach! Happy Sukkot!

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the temple....

We have another holiday right around the corner! Welcome to the festive holiday of Sukkot. During Sukkot, Jews build booths, or huts, called Sukkot (singular = Sukkah). We are commanded to dwell in them during the seven days of the festival (please note that Conservative and Orthodox Jews observe eight days of the festival). If the weather is good, we are encouraged to sleep, eat, study, and do all of our general, daily activities in the Sukkah.

The Sukkot remind us of our days when we were farmers, and we would have to dwell in temporary shelters along our fields at night. These huts keep us closer to the earth and the heavens above. The roof, covered by branches and leaves, is left open to the sky so that we can see the moon and stars at night.

During this festival, we shake a lulav and an etrog - made up of four species of plants that grow in Israel: Citron, Myrtle, Willow, and Palm. We shake the lulav and the etrog in E, S, W, N and up and down, symbolizing that God is all around us.

This harvest festival is a wonderful way to reconnect with the the beautiful, natural world around us. We watch the leaves starting to change colors, the weather is growing colder, and we are getting ready to hibernate for the winter. But, our tradition helps us spend time outside, out in the world, breathing the fresh air and watching the beauty around us.

Chag Sameach - Happy Holidays!!

L'shanah tovah!! Happy New Year!!!

Hello, friends! I hope you are all having a lovely autumn. For those of us Jews, we have been in the midst of the Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe. These are the ten days that begin with Rosh HaShanah (the Jewish New Year) and conclude, tonight and tomorrow, with Yom Kippur (the Day of Repentance).

This is a time of reflection, contemplation, and reconnection. We are encouraged to return to our true selves - to consider our behavior over the past year and seek to do better in the coming year. We listen to the Shofar blast - the loud sound that comes from a ram's horn. It serves as a wakeup call, forcing us to reach for our highest potential as human and spiritual beings.

I hope that you all have a good and healthy 5770, and that you always feel that you can have a fresh start whenever you most need one.

For a truly new, innovative way of thinking about these ten days, please visit 10Q - they have created meaningful questions, for Jews and non-Jews alike, to contemplate over the past few days. You have the next 72 hours to complete the questions (and they remain confidential). One year from now, they will email you your answers, giving you an opportunity to see how you did this year!

L'shanah tovah tikateivu v'tichateimu - May we all be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life for the coming year!

Chag Shavuot Sameach - Happy Shavuot!!

Wishing you all a Chag Shavuot Sameach - a Happy Shavuot.

Shavuot (meaning "weeks") is the Jewish holiday that celebrates the giving and receiving of Torah - the Five Books of Moses - on Mount Sinai. Why "weeks?" Shavuot falls on the day following the counting of 7 weeks (a week of weeks) since Passover.

So, theoretically, the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt 50 days ago, and they have been on a journey all this time towards the foot of Mount Sinai. These have been their first tastes of freedom in 400 years, and I would imagine that they were scared, elated, confused, and traumatized. Now, they stand as a community and as a new people,below the mountain, and Moses has ascended to receive Torah.

In these few weeks, we move between two of God's greatest acts: the redemption from slavery, and now the revelation at Sinai.

I will be attempting an all-night study session tonight - there is a tradition of "Tikkun Layl Shavuot," in which Jews study texts and learn together all night, until sunrise. I will be attending a terrific session at the local JCC, which is offering study, dance, meditation, learning, and plenty of food and coffee.

Wishing you meaningful moments of learning and revelation in your own lives!

Happy 61st Birthday, Israel!!

Wishing you a Chag HaAtzmaut Sameach -
Happy Israel Independence Day!

If you would like, feel free to visit a selection of my previous posts on Israel:

13 Things I Love About Israel

Sites and Sights of Israel

My Most Recent Trip to Israel -Day 1

Happy Chanukah!

Wishing you all a Happy and Bright Chanukah!

To learn more about Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, you can visit Judaism 101 or Wikipedia.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving.

May we celebrate all the blessings in our lives, pause to remember all we have,

and rededicate ourselves to taking care of those in need.

Photos from the 4th!

We were so close to the Statue of Liberty! Liberty State Park, in Jersey City, NJ, boasts beautiful views of the Statue, Ellis Island, and Downtown Manhattan. (Unfortunately, it was a dark and stormy night, so the picture is a little fuzzy).

To me, the above picture reminds of a Woody Allen film. It just seems to be a perfect NYC shot!

My sister, Lindsay, and her boyfriend, Dan. Aren't they just adorable together?

A sample of the glorious fireworks show. Below the light, you can see the raincloud/smokecloud that was covering most of the show (most unfortunately).

What a blast!!!

Sunday, Sunday - so good to me...

Hope you all had a good Sunday!

I CANNOT believe it, but I made it through the High Holy Days. Wow! For those of you who don't know, these are the most awe-inspiring, meaningful days of the Jewish calendar. We are supposed to examine our souls, our lives, and our relationships, and look for ways to be better in the coming year.

As a rabbi, I give my biggest sermons, lead the longest worship services, and have the most stress before and during the holy days. Due to my back pain, I was quite concerned in the weeks leading up to these days - how was I going to be able to do my job? I needed to stand for 11 hours of services yesterday. Luckily, the day was so filled of profundity, of beautiful liturgy and music, and of family and friends - I didn't have enough time to think too much about my pain!

It all got me thinking about how we each deal with stress. One of my most powerful stress reducers is music. Certain songs immediately relax me, get my feet tapping, or bring a smile to my face. Some of the ones that helped most this year:
1) "Feel," by Robbie Williams
2) "Hey Eugene," by Pink Martini
3) "Midnight Train to Georgia," by Gladys Knight and the Pips
4) "Waiting for My Real Life to Begin," by Colin Hay (mentioned this a few days ago)
5) "Rehab," by Amy Winehouse
6) "Such Great Heights," by Iron and Wine
7) "Sin Wagon," by the Dixie Chicks
8) "Thursday's Child," by David Bowie
9) "When the Stars Go Blue," by the Corrs, featuring Bono
10) "Young Folks," by Peter Bjorn and John

SO, what about you? How do you de-stress? I can't wait to hear what works for you.

Have a great week!

A Good and Healthy New Year

As we approach the start of a new year on the Jewish calendar, I wanted to wish you all a good and sweet year.

May we all have a year filled with good health, joy, love, friendship, growth, and success.

May the shofar blast, the stirring sound of the ram's horn, awaken us from complancency, from stagnant routines, and from anxious paralysis. May it cause our eyes to open, our hearts to beat with hope and intention, and our lives to change for the better.

With the fresh start of the new year, may we be inspired to come closer to our true selves, closer to our souls' potential, closer to our beloved family and friends.

And may we feel prepared to engage in new acts of tikkun olam, acts that repair the brokenness in the world around us.

Happy 5768!