Big Tent Judaism

Sleeplessness on Shavuot

Have you ever participated in a Tikkun Leil Shavuot—literally, a Shavuot night watch? Much like high school or college students who pull “all-nighters” studying for exams, on Shavuot, which begins tonight, we can all join in a similar experience as we stay up all night studying the Torah and other topics related to Judaism. Siân Gibby, a blogger and copy editor, who never pulled all-nighters as a student, writes in Tablet Magazine about how her abhorrence to staying up all night is precisely what makes Shavuot so special for her.

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The Story of Ruth through an Interfaith Lens

In a couple of days, many in the Jewish community will visit the story of Ruth, the Moabite woman often thought of as the first official convert to Judaism (although this, of course, is debatable). While many will spend Shavuot reading her story and focusing on the elements that make it the paradigmatic conversion experience—her holistic embrace of Judaism—Rabbi Rayzel Raphael thinks there is another way to read the Book of Ruth. “What’s missing from this story is the interfaith lens through which we view contemporary society,” she writes. By leaving out any mention of the traditions she left behind, Rabbi Raphael believes this is a good opportunity to explore the “details and nuances” of the lives of those who have chosen Judaism or live in a Jewish household.

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Recognizing the Different Paths to Jewish Engagement

The diverse methods of celebrating Jewish holidays are a great reminder that there is no “right” way to find meaning in Jewish rituals. Some might find meaning in Shabbat by staying in and reading a good book, while others might find meaning in joining others at synagogue. There are numerous pathways to engagement, and Gary Rosenblatt, editor and publisher of the [New York] Jewish Week, explains that the upcoming holiday of Shavuot is no different. But as each finds their own way to celebrate, no one should look negatively upon how someone else approaches the holiday. “Shavuot,” he writes, “is the festival that speaks most directly to this concept of unity and embracing the other.”

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New Online Resources for Shavuot

On Shavuot, which begins this year on the evening of Tuesday, May 18th, we celebrate the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. G-d decreed through Moses on that day that the Torah belonged to all those in the Jewish community, including the strangers who were in our camp. Through this message, we understand that the giving of the Torah – and the celebration of Shavuot - is a time to make sure all those in our midst are welcomed and included. That’s why the Jewish Outreach Institute has created some new and exciting resources that make the holiday accessible and welcoming to intermarried families, Jews-by-Choice and all others in the orbit of our community.

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