SHAVUOT

Shavuot is the time we tell the story of revelation, of the entire people of Israel hearing God’s voice at the mountain.

But what about us? Does this story relate in any way to our religious experience as modern American Jews? Can we have a direct relationship with God? Do we even want such a relationship? What if I don’t even believe in God? How would that impact our lives?

We will dedicate the night of learning at Beth Jacob to explore the idea and practice of having a relationship with God. We will probe the stories of Shavuot for insight on the image of listening to God, and will delve into our regular prayer services to see how we understand our relationship with God in that context. Ebn will offer a framework of practice in which prayer is the arena within which we work on and develop our relationship with God. We will attempt to apply some of the insights and practices derived from this learning to our listening to the story of the Sinai revelation in the Torah reading the next morning.

Ebn Leader has been a student of Rabbi Arthur Green for 25 years. He joined Green in the founding of the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College, where he taught for 20 years. He was also privileged to study extensively with rabbis David Hartman z”l and Zalman Schachter Shalomi z”l. His published work is in the field of Hasidism and Neo- Hasidism, most notably “Speaking Torah – Spiritual Teachings from Around the Maggid’s Table” published by Jewish Lights. He is married to Rabbi Claudia Kreiman, and together they parent two daughters.

Tuesday, June 11 – Tikkun

8:00 pm – 11:00 pm: Tikkun Leil Shavuot (with R. Ebn Leader)

11:00 pm: Torah Walk

11:30 pm – Until sunrise at Erin Webb’s House (RSVP for more details. )

Wednesday, June 12 – Shavuot Services

9:00 am – 11:30 am (led by R. Ebn Leader)

Followed by Shavuot Potluck Picnic Lunch

Thursday, June 13 – Shavuot Day 2

9:00 am – 11:30 am

Followed by Kiddush

(Including Yizkor Service)

Followed by Shavuot Potluck Picnic Lunch

After Shavuot services on June 12th and 13th we will have potluck lunch on the lawn at Beth Jacob. Please sign up below to bring a vegetarian dish for our Shavuot potluck picnics. Please bring your own serving utensils. Please also bring a list of ingredients for your dish; we have a variety of allergies in our community. See the signup page for our potluck kashrut guidelines.