Shavuot
The festival of Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.
Shavuot's Origins
The festival of Shavuot celebrates the giving of the at Mount Sinai and encourages us to embrace the Torah’s teachings and be inspired by the wisdom Jewish tradition has to offer.
Shavuot is the Hebrew word for “weeks,” and the holiday occurs seven weeks after Passover. Shavuot, like many other Jewish holidays, began as an ancient agricultural festival that marked the end of the spring barley harvest and the beginning of the summer wheat harvest. In ancient times, Shavuot was a pilgrimage festival during which Israelites brought crop offerings to the Temple in Jerusalem. Today, it is a celebration of Torah, education, and the choice to participate actively in Jewish life.
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Favorite Jewish Teachings from Leaders of Color
In honor of Shavuot and the Giving of the Torah, I have been spending some time reflecting on some of my favorite teachings from Jewish sacred literature, both those that resonate with me, and those that feel most important or most timely.
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New Round of ICE Raids, Same Concerns
In early January 2016, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) initiated a series of operations to round-up and deport undocumented mothers and children from Central America. ICE claimed that these individuals had all been denied their requests for asylum and therefore had no other legal recourse
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Reducing Our Food Waste This Shavuot
On Shavuot, as we celebrate receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai, we also celebrate the beginning of the harvest and the connection between the earth, God and us. Receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai includes accepting the teachings and values of the Torah that guide our daily lives. The Torah teaches:
