Archive: June 2016

A Shavuot Message from Rabbi-in-Residence, Rabbi Danielle Eskow

A Shavuot Message from Rabbi-in-Residence, Rabbi Danielle Eskow

This weekend we celebrate the holiday of Shavuot – the day where we celebrate receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai. It is one of the three pilgrimage holidays when back in the time of the Temple Jewish people would schlep to Jerusalem and celebrate as a community. Today, Jewish people around the world celebrate Shavuot by studying Torah (often all night!) and visiting synagogues for local celebrations. Since our community here at ShalomLearning educates families from all over the world and from all different Jewish journeys, how can we as a community celebrate this very special holiday?

The essence of Shavuot is the appreciation of and commitment to a life of Jewish learning and studying Torah. All of us at ShalomLearning are committed to providing your students and families with a highly accessible Jewish learning experience. Shavuot is an opportunity for each of us to recommit to our journey of Jewish learning, and in doing so, strengthen our connection to our tradition, our families, and the greater Jewish community.

On Shavuot we celebrate receiving the Torah from God through Moses at Mount Sinai. When our ancestors were standing at the foot of the mountain they said “Naaseh v’nishmah” when asked if they would uphold the laws outlined in the Torah. The Hebrew means, “We will do and we will listen.” What does this mean? The Jewish people first committed to doing to action, before actually knowing what they were committing to. The people agreed to act in accordance with God’s Torah before understanding it. Jewish people connect to God, to each other, and to the tradition through action. This Shavuot, let us be inspired by the celebration of the Torah to commit ourselves to a life that pursues Jewish learning (with us here at ShalomLearning!) as well as a life of living Torah. Let us not only understand and study Torah, but also experience, live, and spread the values in the Torah.

Wishing you and your family a Chag Shavuot Sameach-a Happy Shavuot! And hey, if you want to commit to some more Jewish learning-let us know-we have your back! 🙂