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Happy Shavuot!

Shavuot begins at sunset on Saturday, May 19
 

Join us for our celebration!
Sunday, May 20 
  The Feast of Weeks / Receiving of the Torah  
  Yizkor - 9:30 a.m.
  Program - 10:00 a.m. 

The main program for all congregants, beginning at
10:00 a.m., will be an interactive learning program about Torah and the 10 Commandments as we celebrate the festival of Shavuot, the 'reason' for Passover!
Please RSVP  
The basics first, please:

What does "Shavuot" even mean??
 
"Shavuot" means "weeks." We use "Shavuot" as the name of the festival marking the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, which occurs seven weeks after Passover.

Hey! Is that why we've been Counting the Omer? (And what's "Omer," anyway?)       

Yes! "Omer" is (ancient) Hebrew for a measure of grain. The seven weeks of counting the Omer are the 49 days between the second day of Passover and the start of Shavuot. It was a pilgrimage holiday when the Temple was standing in Jerusalem, when farmers brought their crop offerings.  

Now that I understand the connection between "Shavuot" and "omer," tell me how Shavuot is celebrated.

Since Shavuot has its roots in an agricultural festival that marked the end of the spring barley harvest and the beginning of the summer wheat harvest, and is now a celebration of receiving the Torah, you could say we celebrate by "planting" the Torah in our hearts: We learn more about it!    


But first, here's a brief
agricultural reminder
for city folk.  
 


We now return to our
Shavuot information.
 

Okay, I'm ready for more!


Rabbi says that Passover is the 'reason' for Shavuot. What does she mean by that?
 

The reason we were freed from slavery to Pharoah in Egypt was so that we could choose to serve Gd. On Shavuot, we
  receive the Torah, which teaches us what service to Gd is all about, and actually, why we are here.  
 

Why do some Jews greet one another with "See you at [Mt.] Sinai!" leading up to Shavuot?  

Because the Torah (in Parashat
  Nitzavim) describes the scene like this: all of us, even those not yet born, were at Sinai to receive the Torah. 
  
Why do we say we 'received' Torah rather than we were 'given' Torah? 
  
Because it was not a one-time event. Rabbis teach that we make the choice to continue to receive Torah every day.  
  
Why was Torah given to the Jews? 
  
There are several midrashim that help explain. Come Sunday morning to hear more!


Something's still missing...

Yes, of COURSE there are specific Shavuot customs and traditions!

1. Pull an all-nighter 

Throughout the Jewish world, to honor the receiving of the Torah some stay up all night to study and discuss a variety of Torah topics. You can be sure that if Kehillah were to do this, we'd warn you in advance so you'd have time to buy new jammies.
 

2. Hold confirmation and conversion ceremonies
 
A traditional Shavuot text is the Book of Ruth, and Ruth is considered the first "convert" to Judaism. That's why Shavuot is often the time when teenagers and others recommit to their Jewish learning or commit to Judaism.


3. Eat blintzes and cheesecake 
 
You knew we'd get to the food part eventually, right? Because Jewish tradition compares learning Torah to the sweetness of milk and honey, dairy foods are the go-to feasting fare for Shavuot, with blintzes and cheesecake usually taking center stage. We're not complaining! 
 

Celebrate Shavuot with Kehillah! 
Come see how we do it! 
 
Join us this Sunday, May 20 to celebrate the Feast of Weeks / Receiving of the Torah 

Yizkor - 9:30 a.m.
Program - 10:00 a.m.

Please RSVP by clicking here.   
Congregation Kehillah | 602-369-7667 | info@congregationkehillah.org
5858 E. Dynamite Blvd., Cave Creek, AZ 85331 
www.congregationkehillah.org

Mailing address: 21001 N. Tatum Blvd., Ste. 1630 #439, Phoenix, AZ 85050

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