I want to thank everyone who joined us for Shavuot last Sunday! It was a beautiful event and we had an amazing number of people to celebrate with. We began with a short Torah reading service in our synagogue, where we heard the Ten Commandments and learned about the experience our ancestors witnessed on Mount Sinai. Followed by Kiddush, everyone enjoyed a delicious dairy lunch (including three varieties of cheesecake!). It is very moving to see such a vibrant celebration of a sometimes overlooked holiday. If you couldn’t make it this time, I want to invite everyone to visit us for a Shabbat or for an upcoming program.
This week’s parsha is called “Naso”, which literally means “to lift”. As this portion is always read in conjunction with Shavuot, the day the Torah was given on Mount Sinai, there is a special lesson we can learn about our relationship to the Torah. Our Torah learning is not meant to remain academic or even educational. When a Jew learns Torah, he or she is bringing G-dly wisdom into their life. And the main thing, our sages tell us, is action. What comes about through our learning, how it affects us, and how we use our knowledge to better the world. Torah is meant to “lift” us beyond our natural limitations and restrains, to make us holy and to allow us to achieve holy things. Therefore, the Torah portion read after Shavuot, is called “Naso”, reminding us to use what we received on Shavuot to “lift” us in the days ahead.
Over the summer, we are pleased to announce that we will be offering a multi-week course on reading Hebrew. We are planning to begin in mid-July. More information will follow in the weeks ahead. Please let me know if you or someone you know would be interested In attending.
Wishing you and your families a Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Akiva
This week’s parsha is called “Naso”, which literally means “to lift”. As this portion is always read in conjunction with Shavuot, the day the Torah was given on Mount Sinai, there is a special lesson we can learn about our relationship to the Torah. Our Torah learning is not meant to remain academic or even educational. When a Jew learns Torah, he or she is bringing G-dly wisdom into their life. And the main thing, our sages tell us, is action. What comes about through our learning, how it affects us, and how we use our knowledge to better the world. Torah is meant to “lift” us beyond our natural limitations and restrains, to make us holy and to allow us to achieve holy things. Therefore, the Torah portion read after Shavuot, is called “Naso”, reminding us to use what we received on Shavuot to “lift” us in the days ahead.
Over the summer, we are pleased to announce that we will be offering a multi-week course on reading Hebrew. We are planning to begin in mid-July. More information will follow in the weeks ahead. Please let me know if you or someone you know would be interested In attending.
Wishing you and your families a Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Akiva