Rabbi's Blog

Shavuot, one of the most important Jewish holidays of the year, will be celebrated at BTC in two special ways on Saturday evening, May 19th. (See below)

Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. The word “Shavuot” means “weeks” and this holiday takes place seven weeks after Passover. Shavuot is also known as a harvest festival and it marks the end of the barley harvest and summer wheat harvest. In ancient times it was a pilgrimage festival when Israelites would travel to Jerusalem to offer the first grains of their wheat crops and their first fruits.

In modern times 4 Shavuot customs stand out:

1. Worship Services include the reading of the 10 Commandments and the Book of Ruth. At Sinai, we received the 10 commandments and Ruth, a celebrated convert to Judaism, like the Israelites who accepted the commandments at Sinai, chose Judaism on her own.
2. All night Torah study sessions called “Leil Tikun Shavuot.”
3. Confirmation Ceremony for High School students who chose to continue their Jewish studies after B’nai Mitzvah. This ceremony is often held on or near Shavuot and the event connects symbolically to Shavuot. Just as the people accept the Torah on Shavuot, so do confirmands reaffirm the commitment to the covenant and adult Jewish life. Our BTC 10th graders will be confirmed the night before Shavuot, on Friday, May 19th, at 8:00 pm.
4. Eating dairy!! Yes, eating dairy! Jewish tradition compares the words of Torah to the sweetness of milk and honey. Eating dairy such as blintzes, cheesecake and ice cream therefore reminds us of the pleasantness of Torah.

At Beth Tikvah Congregation we will be celebrating Shavuot with two events. We hope you can join:

BTC Jr. Shavout Ice Cream Social & Havdalah, 4:00 pm

Come join Beth Tikvah's newest group: BTC Jr, Jewish fun for families with young children as they celebrate Shavuot with an Ice Cream Social and Havdalah Service. 

Congregational Shavuot Worship Services with Kol Tikvah and pre-service Pizza gathering.

Celebrate Shavuot with pizza* at 6:00 pm, our religious services with Kol Tikvah at 7:00 pm, (with Yizkor). Please rsvp to me: rabbi@beth-tikvah.org if you plan to attend the pizza dinner at 6:00 pm. 

Happy Shavuot everyone! Chag Samaech!