Worship
Shavuot – history and meaning
Shavuot is a Hebrew word meaning ‘weeks’ and refers to the Jewish festival marking the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Shavuot, like so many other Jewish holidays began as an ancient agricultural festival, marking the end of the spring barley harvest and the beginning of the summer wheat harvest. Shavuot was distinguished in ancient times by bringing crop offerings to the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Torah tells us it took precisely forty-nine days for our ancestors to travel from Egypt to the foot of Mount Sinai (the same number of days as the Counting of the Omer ) where they were to receive the Torah. Thus, Leviticus 23:21 commands: ‘And you shall proclaim that day (the fiftieth day) to be a holy convocation…’ The name Shavuot, ‘Weeks,’ then symbolizes the completion of a seven-week journey.
Special customs on Shavuot are the reading of the Book of Ruth, which reminds us that we too can find a continual source of blessing in our tradition. Another tradition includes staying up all night to study Torah and Mishnah, a custom called Tikkun Leil Shavuot, which symbolizes our commitment to the Torah, and that we are always ready and awake to receive the Torah. Traditionally, dairy dishes are served on this holiday to symbolize the sweetness of the Torah, as well as the ‘land of milk and honey’.
Shavuot is celebrated seven weeks after Passover (when the barley harvest begins). These seven weeks are called the Omer and are counted ceremonially. This counting, called s’firat ha-omer, begins on the second day of Passover.The source for this practice is found in the book of Deuteronomy, “You shall count off seven weeks…then you shall observe the Feast of Weeks to Adonai your God” (Deuteronomy 16:9-10).The counting of the Omer takes place daily after the evening service.
Once the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed and the mitzvah of bringing the first fruits of the harvest was lost, the Rabbis were concerned that the observance of Shavuot might disappear. It was during this time period (2nd century C.E.) when the Rabbis determined that the revelation of Torah at Sinai coincided with Shavuot.
Recognizing that Shavuot has both agricultural and religious roots, the holiday is known by several different names: Shavuot, Z’man Matan Torateinu and Chag HaBikkurim.
Z’man Matan Torateinu translates as “the season of the giving of our Torah”; and Chag HaBikkurim means “the festival of first fruits”.
Content provided by URJ
Hanukkah 2017
Community Hanukkah Party
4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17
Bloedel Donovan Pavillion
Celebrate with yummy food, Hanukkah-themed crafts, a Dreidel Spin-off and Dreidel “drop,” Kesher class performances, music and singing, and lighting the Hanukkah candles.
Purchase Hanukkah candles online — 100 percent of proceeds go toward the Hanukkah party!
4th Night for Others
Consider a break from presents in your house and instead shop for a new toy or book for a child of any age to be given to the nonprofit PLLAY (Programs to Lighten the Lives of Adults and Youths — pllay.org). They provide women in need the opportunity to “shop” for their children this holiday season. Bring it to our Shabbat/Hanukkah service Dec 15. We hope you’ll join us in this mitzvah.
Questions? meredithattar@yahoo.com
Music for Family Services
Here are recordings by Cantorial Soloist Andrea Shupack for Family Services:
FAMILY SERVICES
Music for Yom Kippur
YOM KIPPUR
Music for Rosh Hashanah
Here are recordings by Cantorial Soloist Andrea Shupack for Rosh Hashanah Services:
ROSH HASHANAH
Bar’chu:
Ma’ariv Aravim:
Shema:
Mi Chamocha:
Hashkiveinu:
Evening Amidah:
Avot:
Zochreinu:
G’vurot:
Y’hiyu L’ratzon:
Morning Amidah:
Unetaneh Tokef:
Kedushah:
Sim Shalom 1st version:
Sim Shalom by Julie Silver:
Adonai Adonai:
L’shana Tova:
TASHLICH
Hashiveinu / Return Again:
Shabbat Morning Music
Modeh Ani
Mah Gadlu
Mah Tovu
Elohai Neshama
N’sim B’chol Yom
Baruch She’amar
Mizmor Shir L’yom HaShabbat
Ashrei
Psalm 150
Nishmat Kol Chai
Ahavah Rabbah
Shema
V’ahavtah
Mi Chamocha
Amidah
Kedushah
Yismechu
Sim Shalom
Friday Night Music
Yedid Nefesh
Candle lighting
Mizmor L’David
Shalom Aleichem
L’cha Dodi
Mizmor Shir
Ahavat Olam
V’shamru
Amidah
Shalom Rav
Shabbat Dinner Crowd is back
Congregation Beth Israel is reviving its Shabbat Dinner Crowd — a flash mob Shabbat dinner experience — though the sign-up format will be adjusted a bit.
How it works:
Someone volunteers a location for Shabbat dinner and guests supply the food (a main dish or a side, enough to feed your family). The host provides challah, kiddush wine, and glasses/plates/utensils. The dinner is casual — buffet style, paper plates and jeans are fine. Just come and enjoy.
Dinners can be meat, dairy, or vegetarian. Hosts, please let everyone know what the kashrut status of the meal is.
What’s new:
Instead of getting an automated email the Sunday before a Shabbat Dinner Crowd, we will be maintaining a Google worksheet with the dates for Dinner Crowd listed. Hosts can peruse the dates and sign up to host, specifying any food rules, number of guests they can handle, and their
address and contact information. Once a date has a host, guests can fill in their names, along with the number in their party and their contact information.
If the first host site fills up, we will open up a second host spot so as many people as possible can participate!
The database that was used for the previous setup will not be used, so if you want to participate, you need to check the Google worksheet and sign up. The link for the worksheet will be available in the weekly Timbrel, which is distributed to Congregation Beth Israel members. Members are welcome to share the link with friends.
Our first Dinner Crowd will be October 27, and the signup link will be in the Timbrel, starting at the beginning of October.
The plan is to hold Dinner Crowd once a month — when Friday night services are at 7:30 pm, an early dinner (5 to 7 pm) is suggested. When it’s an evening without a Friday night service (typically a fifth Friday), dinner can start a little later, usually around 6 or 6:15 pm.
Any other questions? Call Melissa Schapiro (360) 738-7182, or email webmaster@bethisraelbellingham.org
Let’s keep this rolling by having someone host every time!
Torah Blessings
Want an aliyah? Learn or brush up on the blessings for before and after the Torah readings. Listen here:
Blessings before the Torah reading:
Blessings after the Torah reading:
Read along: Torah blessings with transliteration