Shavuot 5785

Shavuot starts Sunday, June 1! 
Mark your calendars for the full lineup of programs at CBI. 

This year our theme is: "Meayin yavo ezri: From Where Does My Help Come?" We’ll look at stories of supernatural and otherworldly interventions during times of personal and communal crises. From golems, to the spirits of deceased ancestors, to the fish that swallowed Jonah, there are countless examples in which Jews have found their fortunes reversed by the arrival of a mysterious or magical being  at the right time. We’ll also explore the spiritual and psychological motivations for such extraordinary interference.

Shavuot is a joyful holiday that arrives seven weeks after Passover, marking the completion of the Omer period. It originally celebrated the biblical wheat harvest in the Land of Israel, but over time it also became associated with the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. 

Traditionally, the holiday is observed by staying up late on the first night to study Torah in a practice called Tikkun Leyl Shavuot as a way to commemorate the revelation of the Torah. Join us for any or all of our sessions on Sunday evening, June 1. 

There is also a widespread custom of eating dairy foods. The reasons for this vary: some see both milk and Torah as essential sources of life and nourishment; others connect it to the seasonal abundance of milk, since Shavuot coincides with the time of year when baby animals are born and mothers are producing milk. Enjoy ice cream at Shavuot Shabloom, and cheesecake after the main learning session on Sunday as well as cereal in milk between the late-night study sessions. 

One of the central rituals in ancient times was the offering of bikkurim—the first fruits of the harvest—which were brought to the Temple in Jerusalem as an expression of gratitude and recognition of the land's bounty. 

In our community, we honor the spirit of bikkurim by celebrating the “first fruits” of our own lives—our newest babies! We mark this with Shavuot Shabloom on Sunday morning, June 1, a time to welcome and bless the little ones among us, and to celebrate the growth and renewal they bring to our community. 

Thursday, May 29 

Canceled: 7:00-8:30 pm Shavuot Song Circle: Singing to Sinai Thursday May 29th, 7:00-8:30 pm on Abundance Farm
(Rain location in the CBI Sanctuary)

Get ready for Shavuot—the holiday of revelation—through song, spirit, and shared presence. Join song-leader Molly Bajgot outside on Abundance Farm as we prepare for receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai. Together we’ll lift our voices and tap into the deep spiritual power of mountains as sacred meeting places. Come to listen, come to sing, and come stand once more at the foot of the mountain and open to what is being revealed during this season of harvest and First Fruits. 

 Sunday, June 1 
Register below for all programs on June 1

9:30 am Shavuot Shabloom on Abundance Farm (rain location in the CBI Sanctuary)
All are welcome and encouraged to celebrate the first fruits (new babies). Join Rabbi Ariella, Rabbi Jacob, and Aram Rubenstein-Gillis for singing, blessings, and ice cream!

Tikkun Leyl Shavuot Learning Sessions
 
6:00-7:30 pm: Collaborative Crankie Creation of the Jonah Story in the CBI Social Hall
Led by Eva Gerstle and Bella Levavi
Our activity will begin with a crankie performance of a Talmud Story: Shabbat 33b. Then, we will all work together to create a new crankie. A crankie is a storytelling device that consists of a scroll inside a box, where a puppeteer “cranks” the scroll as a performance unfolds, revealing a visual representation of the story. Often compared to “analog television” or “2D puppet shows,” crankies offer a captivating, hands-on way to engage with art. The Jonah story will be split into sections and individual community members to make art inspired by each section. All panels will be pasted together to make one large collaborative community crankie. The collaborative cranky will be performed by Eva and Bella at an event close to the High Holidays.
All ages welcome!

8:00-9:30 pm: Brief Ma’ariv service followed by the main learning sessions with Rabbi Ariella and Rabbi Jacob in the CBI Sanctuary. In person and on Livestream.  

Meayin yavo ezri: From Where Does My Help Come? At our Tikkun Leyl Shavuot, we’ll look at stories of supernatural and otherworldly interventions during times of personal and communal crises. From golems, to the spirits of deceased ancestors, to the fish that swallowed Jonah, there are countless examples in which Jews have found their fortunes reversed by the arrival of a mysterious or magical being  at the right time. We’ll also explore the spiritual and psychological motivations for such extraordinary interference.

9:30 pm: Cheesecake break! 

9:50 pm –12:10 am: Join for one or more of the three learning sessions offered throughout the evening. All sessions will be in person only.  

9:50-10:30: Session 1 - The Golem's Golem, with Rabbi Ed Feld
Learn how Chat GPT, the modern day golem, translated the work of the Mahahral of Prague, (died 1609) the purported creator of the legendary Golem, Tiferet Yisrael, on the meaning of Torah and Israel.

10:40-11:20: Session 2 - Accessing supernatural forces in Late Antiquity, with Professor Sari Fein 
Explore the world of magic in Late Antiquity, with a focus on how people sought to access and interact with angels, demons, and other supernatural forces.  

11:30-12:10: Session 3 - Encounters with the Angel of Death with Rabbi David Seidenberg
A good many rabbinic stories revolve around supernatural encounters with the Angel of death. Many contain revelations told to us by the Angel of death. These dovetail with a story that experiencing revelation at Sinai was like dying. We will learn the stories and interweave them to find our own truths.

Monday, June 2
9:30 am: Shavuot services in the CBI and on Livestream followed by kiddush lunch 

Tuesday, June 3
9:30 am: Shavuot services in the CBI Sanctuary, including yizkor memorial service and the reading of Megillat Ruth, followed by kiddush lunch