June 2019, Shavuot

Dear Friends,

Shavuot is finally here!

I often think about a conversation with one of my university mates who said to me: ‘your religion seems to have so many festivals and feasts!’ I remember saying to him that while many festivals are indeed joyous, there was a distinct difference between the ‘feasting’ and ‘fasting’ ones, and not all are alike!

I really feel that Shavuot is truly representative of the best aspects of our religion. From engaging children through the dairy and ice-cream parties and adults enjoying a mini-festival of ideas and discussion through the Tikkun Leil (all-night) learning programs, there is a distinct festive mood that this holiday brings out.

Our Jewish culture as “the People of the Book” is largely derived by our dedication to text and scholarly pursuits which are imbued into our festivals and lifestyle. I welcome all of you to the Ark for our Tikkun Leil program which starts at 7 PM on Saturday night. I promise you that you will be engaged with the topics of discussion in what is sure to be an enlightening evening lead by Bialik College Principal Jeremey Stowe-Linder and you will not be disappointed with our spread of dairy nibbles!. On Sunday we will be reading the 10 commandments followed by Yizkor. And an ice-cream party will definitely be a hit during the Kiddush…for young and young at heart.

There are many explanations for the festival of Shavuot. Out of all Jewish festivals it retains significance as one of the “Shalosh Regalim” namely, the three pilgrim festivals, which also includes Pesach and Sukkot, in which one would make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to visit the Temple. It also coincides with the harvest season in Israel, a particularly joyous time marking the end of a long year of waiting for crops to mature and rains in the right time.

Shavuot also ties itself to the Exodus from Egypt through the confirmation of the Jewish people being chosen to receive the Torah. The Torah continues to guide our day to day lives as well as our greater purpose. While previously we were slaves in Egypt and were chained to a slave-like mentality where we did not think we deserved better, Shavuot represents the revelation in which we accepted upon ourselves the obligations of the Torah and the values it imbues upon us.

During the festival of Shavuot there are a number of customs. Dairy products are consumed as the Jewish people had not yet received the Torah and were unsure of which animals were kosher. Many Synagogues also decorate themselves with flowers and greenery to represent the beauty that flowered on Mt Sinai as the Torah was given.

It is also customary to read one of the five Megillot, namely, the Book of Ruth. This book is linked to Shavuot through its setting during the harvest time. It teaches timeless values of welcoming the widow, taking care of the poor and the needy and loving the convert. The commentators, Baal HaTosfos, note that the commandment to ‘love and care for the stranger and convert’ is mentioned up to 46 times, depending on how one counts, as a way to remind us of our history as people who were strangers and converted, and to not forget our past when interacting with others.

For me, Shavuot will always primarily be about these deeper values that our religion has imbued through our festivals and literature. We dedicate so much of our time to providing for the sick, needy and poor because our ancestors and our Torah have shown us that this is the path to a meaningful and good life. We dedicate ourselves to loving people, even those that come from different places to us, because we recall our past as slaves and strangers. And it is for this reason that Shavuot takes on extra-special significance for so many.

I welcome you and your families to join us in celebrating this marvellous Chag and hope that you too enjoy the wonders of this Festival which has so much to teach and offer each of us.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach!
Rabbi Gabi

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