|
Related Resources: Calendar of Jewish Holidays
Shavuot is a Hebrew word meaning "weeks" and refers to the Jewish festival marking the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai... The Torah tells us it took precisely forty-nine days for our ancestors to travel from Egypt to the foot of Mount Sinai (the same number of days as the Counting of the Omer ) where they were to receive the Torah. Thus, Leviticus 23:21 commands: "And you shall proclaim that day (the fiftieth day) to be a holy convocation…"
more...
Three Names, Seven Weeks, and Fifty Days
In ancient times, in the days of the Temple, the people would bring offerings of the first fruits of their harvest. Despite the fact that most of our food comes packaged and sealed, it still makes sense that this experience would have given rise to a ritualistic way to give thanks for the harvest. And what a powerful sight that must have been, to see all the pilgrims streaming into Jerusalem, carrying baskets with the first fruits of their harvests on their way to give thanks at the Temple.
-- Rabbi Hara Person explains the significance of this "most overlooked and misunderstood of Jewish holidays."
Poems of the Heart - Liturgical Poetry for Shavuot Worship and Study
Welcome to the fascinating and creative world of the piyutim! In this year’s Tikkun Leil Shavuot we offer you food for worship and study in the form of traditional and contemporary piyutim, prayer-poems.
Requires free Acrobat Reader. Download here.
Don't miss the excellent Shavuot resources offered by our partners - the Jewish Theological Seminary and Union for Reform Judaism.
Shavuot for Families - Stories and games designed for families.
Requires free Acrobat Reader. Download here.
| FaithandValues.com SHOPPING |
 TIKKUN LEIL SHAVUOT
Megillat Ruth: Journeying Toward the Sacred
This video wrestles with the central questions of the Book of Ruth: Why does Ruth leave all that is familiar to adopt the ways, and more important, the God of the Israelites? This dramatic reading and discussion facilitated by three actors and a rabbi is designed to elicit personal and communal responses to the text. Includes study booklet. Buy it |
From Pesach to Shavuot: Milestones Along the Journey to Sinai
The seven weeks between Pesach and Shavuot, referred to as the Omer, are a period of transition. It is a time in which we move from celebrating our physical liberation from Egypt to celebrating our spiritual liberation through receiving Torah at Sinai. We move from historical dependence upon others to autonomy and self-reliance under a divine constitution, from reliance on idols and taskmasters to taking responsibility for one’s own life and for one's spiritual and communal obligations, from longing for the "fleshpots of Egypt" to relishing the journey through the wilderness as a gift from God.
-- Rabbi Burt Schuman offers guidance on how to make the journey to Sinai a personal transformation.
Ten facts about the ten (approximately) commandments
The 10 Commandments were given in the wilderness, not within the boundaries of one particular nation. Jewish tradition has taken this to mean that therefore anyone who chooses to accept the law can become part of the Jewish people. The text has not always been divided into 10: some traditional Jewish readings have
thirteen commandments. more...
Thou shalt eat blintzes...
The Passover dishes are put away. Summer vacation is around the corner. And all I can think of are blintzes. For me, these light, delicious crepes filled with farmer cheese embody Shavuot....
-- Johanna Ginsberg offers a variety of explanations for the practice that makes Shavuot "a dairy-lovers dream." more...
Blintzes
Filling
1 lb. dry cottage cheese
1 small package cream cheese
1 egg
cinnamon
2-3 tbs. sugar
raisins (optional)
Batter
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup water, soda water or milk
2 eggs
For filling: combine cheeses, sugar, and egg. Add cinnamon and raisins.
For batter: Combine flour, water and salt. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Spoon a little batter into a heated, greased 7-inch frying pan (crepe-size), just to coat bottom, tipping to spread it thin. Cook on one side only then turn onto a towel. Place about 1 1/2 tbs. filling on each pancake, roll up, tucking in ends. Bake for 10 minutes at medium heat. |
...but don't forget the kreplach
It is customary to have one meal composed entirely of milk foods, prominent among which are three-cornered-cakes called "kreplach." Various reasons are given for this custom. The Torah is compared to "honey and milk" (the phrase "honey and milk is under your tongue," in the Song of Songs, is interpreted to apply to the Torah), and of course the Land of Israel is "flowing with milk and honey."
more...
Torah is for man: A Rabbinic Tale
As soon as the angels saw the man Moses come up to Heaven, they gathered round the heavenly throne. They appeared to be in distress. One of the angels spoke for all the others saying, "O Lord God, what is this man of Earth, this Moses, doing in Heaven, in our domain? Why has he come?"
The Lord God answered and said to them, "He has come up to Heaven to receive the Torah for the Children of Man on Earth."
The angels were still troubled. A second angel addressed the Lord, saying, "Our God, You cannot be serious about this! Will You give so precious a treasure to the Children of Man? Are they worthy of it? "more...
|
