Revelation and Innovation, A virtual Tikkun Leil Shavuot

Celebrate the Holiday of Shavuot with Torah and Community
 

Congregations Kol Emeth, Beth Am, Etz Chayim, Keddem, and Beth Ami, together with Stanford Hillel, 
Kehillah Jewish High School, Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School, and the Oshman Family JCC 
invite you to celebrate Shavuot with Torah and community.

Sunday afternoon, May 16 - Pre-Shavuot Kickoff! 

3:00pm Rabbi Shelly Lewis -The Golden Rule As the Foundation of Torah : Can It Become Titanium?
Rabbi Akiva selected the verse: "Love your neighbor as yourself" as the central principle in all of Torah. How has it been read over time? It has been understood narrowly or expansively. Is it possible that there can be a platinum or even titanium rereading of this beloved verse? Can this verse in Torah grow?

4:00pm Professor Charlotte Elisheva Fonrobert - 2021, Celebrating 1700 Years of Jewish Life in Germany  
Jewish communities in Germany are busy this year celebrating the momentous anniversary of 1700 years of Jewish Life there. In 321CE the Emperor Constantine - prompted by an inquiry from Cologne's city council - issued a decree  explicitly allowing Jews to be employed in municipal jobs and joining the city councils. This is our first evidence of  Jewish presence in Germany. In recent years Jewish life in Germany has expanded significantly. I want to share some  of the news from this celebratory year for diaspora Jewish life, and weigh hopes and worries as we consider some of the contributions to global Yiddishkait.

 
Programs for Kids and Families

5:30pm -6:00pm    Shavuot for Young Families with Kara Sanchez and Tyler Dean
Stories, songs, and activities to celebrate the Torah and the 10 Commandments. Geared for ages 0-2nd Grade

8:15-9:15pm Aviv Matzkin - From Pirke Avot to Pop Song
It is tradition to study Pirkei Avot (chapters of the Pops from the Mishnah) during the Omer counting period between Pesach and Shavuot. In case you missed out on the wonderful opportunity to read and analyze these gems of wisdom and insight, come study with us (as a family or on your own) as we conduct careful readings of several mishnayot and then listen to “pop" songs (from the 1960’s through the 2000’s) that illuminate and refract the age old lessons shared in this text. Texts will all be in Hebrew and English; no previous study experience or knowledge necessary. All are welcome.

8:15-9:15pm Rabbi Sarah Graff and Jeff Schwarz
Kol Emeth Pre-B’nai Mitzvah Family Class, Shavuot Finale

9:25-9:50pm Sarah Lauing - Make Your Own Ice Cream
All are welcome for a make-your-own ice cream workshop! We'll connect, move our bodies, and maybe even solve the mystery of why we eat dairy products on Shavuot. You will need: 1 small Ziploc bag (pint size)* 1 large Ziploc bag (gallon size)* 1 cup Half-and-Half (half milk, half cream works as well) * 1 Tablespoon sugar* ½ tsp. vanilla extract* 3 cups or so of ice* 1/3 cup salt (the chunkier the better)* Oven mitts or a towel. *

Programs for All Ages

7:00pm Panel Discussion: Revelation and Innovation
A panel of experts will reflect on how the pandemic has inspired new directions and creativity in their fields, and what Jewish messages inspire them.
Panelists:  Rebecca Pierce, David Cohen, Sally Goodis, and Scott Roy will reflect on the fields of film, education, technology, and artificial intelligence.  Moderated by Rabbi David Booth

8:20pm – 8:50pm Shavuot Evening Services 

• Contemplative Service led by Rabbi Amy Eilberg - Join us for a gentle, reflective service in which we will step into the chag and, with chant and silence, prepare ourselves to receive Torah.  
• Traditional Service led by Rabbi David Booth - Enter into Shavuot with traditional words and melodies for the holiday.  
• Contemporary Service led by Rabbi Chaim Koritzinsky - Traditional liturgy with song, poetry, and thematic readings. 

 
9:00pm- 9:50pm

• Coming Full Circle: Learning with Honi the Circle-Maker about Return, Change and Progress after a Pandemi
  Tova Birnbaum 
  To what world do we return after the pandemic? Which has changed more: the world around us or ourselves? In a text study session we will explore the famous Talmudic story of Honi the circle-maker, who returns to the world after a deep sleep of 70 years and meets reality anew. By exploring the two different endings of the story in the Babylonian Talmud versus the Jerusalem Talmud, we will examine whether they represent different conceptions of the idea of change and what that difference teaches us about ourselves in these unprecedented times. No previous background required.
• Post-Painterly Abstraction and Visual Reciprocity
  Alexandra Lyon
  Using the works of Post-Painterly Abstract Jewish artists Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis and Jules Olitski as anchors, we'll explore the idea of reciprocity in abstract art, learning how to not only deeply look but that we must give of ourselves as a part of the viewing process.
• Lispor u L'saper: Counting and Recounting 
  Abra Greenspan
  An exploration of the way that words, numbers and narrative intersect and inform each other to create meaning. We'll experiment with activities to uncover how words and numbers can determine the directions a narrative takes as it unfolds. A little fun. A little serious. No writing involved.
• Self-Care: A Jewish Perspective
  Rabbi Sarah Weissman   
  The concept of "self-care" has become a buzzword in American culture, particularly this past year. What does Judaism have to say about how and why we take care of ourselves? We'll study some ancient and modern sources together.
• Sh'mirat Halashon/Mindful Speech: The Key to a Peaceful and Righteous Life
  Rabbi Amy Eilberg    
  We will study rich sources on the practice of mindful speech, seeking to understand why the Rabbis understand speech as the central expression of our humanity, as well as the best approach to conflict and peacemaking.
• The Seven Species: The First Choice Fruits We Offer 
  Lisa Rauchwerger
  The bikkurim or gifts were more than simply items brought to the Temple as an offering on the 3 pilgrimage festivals. The Seven Species, namely wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates are not only fruits and grains native to Israel. Each one has certain characteristics and represents specific ideas that makes it "worthy" of mention in this context. We will explore each of the Seven Species and their characteristics based on biblical, midrashic and talmudic citations, and find out what we can learn from them, and why they might have been selected as one of the offerings that would "bring glory to the Land of Israel".
• Jewish Resilience and Wisdom, or Great Insults of the Talmud
  Rabbi David Booth
  Jewish wisdom includes preserving stories of insult and hurt. These stories show Rabbis and others arguing, behaving badly, and trying to find lessons even when it doesn't go "right." We will look at one such section dealing with Rabbinic insult and fantasies of return to Israel. 

10:00pm - 10:50pm

• Free will vs Fate
  Rabbi Ari Cartun
  Rabbi Akiva said "All is foreseen, but permission is given." The Ten Commandments say, "Do this/don't do that." Why would G0d bother to command anything if G0d knows what we will do? We'll look at Rabbi Akiva's whole statement on Divine Judgment, as well as a Talmudic fantasy of Moses' response to Akiva's martyrdom, and why Rabbi Yannay threw up his hands and gave up trying to figure it out.
• The Revelation of Unconditional Love through One Missing Word
  Esti Levin BenDavid
  Exploring Care, Love, and Devotion in the book of Ruth
• Blintzes and Cheesecake are Great, but Why Is That Important?
  Elaine Moise
  The holiday of Shavuot as explained in Torah marks the first fruits of the wheat harvest; for us today it is Z’man Matan Torateinu, the holiday commemorating the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.  It is connected to Passover by the 49 day Omer count.  What does any of this have to do with eating blintzes, cheesecake, atayef (cheese pancakes) or borekas?  Why has eating dairy come to be connected with Shavuot for most (but not all!) Jews around the world? Let’s learn about it! 
• Bringing Torah down to Earth: From theory to practice
  Rabbi Mordecai Miller
  How the "Torah sheb'al Peh" (Oral Torah) takes the Torah from Cosmic Significance to Practical Significance - "Revelation to Innovation." This session will include examples of "Oral Torah" embedded in the text of the Written Torah.
• Taking refuge in the shadow of the Almighty: Re-accessing the Psalms in a time of plague and pestilence
  Elise Rosen-Levin MD and Rabbi Tsvi Bar-David
  We will use our recent and painful experience with the plague of Covid-19 to help us to update and re-kindle our interaction with the Psalms - our ancient resource of healing and redemption - through modern translation, song and expansion of Biblical metaphor.
• The Jewish Calendar
  Avi Lenchner
  We will examine the calendar as it appears in the Torah.  Learn when and how many times it has changed until today.  Try to understand the importance of the calendar to our nation and religion.

11:00pm- 11:30pm

•  Closing Event - Receiving Torah Together - Gather again as a community to hear the Ten Commandments Torah reading and celebrate with song.
  Rabbi Chaim Koritzinsky, Rabbi Sarah Graff, and Elaine Moise

**We are excited to celebrate Shavuot together as a large and diverse community.  Tonight each presenter will follow their own understanding of holiday/yom tov observance.**

Members can find zoom links to each of these events via This Week at Virtual KE. 

Non members should register here.