Committing to Holiness and Community

In just over a week we will celebrate Shavuot, the Jewish holiday that commemorates Matan Torah, the giving of the Torah at Sinai, and symbolically with it, acceptance of the Covenant with God.  It is also when Reform congregations mark students’ milestone of Confirmation in their post-B-Mitzvah journey of lifelong Jewish education and engagement.  Just about two months ago at Passover Seders we imagined ourselves as if we too were leaving Egypt for freedom, alongside our family and friends, the Seder meal is most often a “home ritual.”  Sukkot, with meals in the Sukkah, is also largely a “home ritual.”  Shavuot is communal.  We imagine being alongside all at the foot of Mt. Sinai, saying Na’aseih V’nishmah, “we will do, and we will listen;” representing our acceptance of God’s Covenant. 

I invite you to join me at our Shavuot Service on Tuesday, June 11^th, at 6:30 p.m. as we celebrate the Confirmation of Hannah Dritz. Hannah has been part of our religious school since she was little.  She has been an amazing madrichah (teen aide), youth leader, and eager participant.  Hannah celebrated becoming Bat Mitzvah during the height of the Pandemic, with attendees on Zoom.  I am excited to co-lead this service with her as a Confirmand, to celebrate, with her family in the Sanctuary, and with her community physically present too. 

As we round out this cycle’s reading of Leviticus this Shabbat, with all of its many, many, laws and commandments, we remember that these are how the Israelite community created their community.  While some commandments are timeless – love your neighbor as yourself, judge others fairly, and more.  Others, do not seem as timeless, particularly those around ritual purity and the sacrificial practices.  Without going into the details, I believe (in their time) these practices were a way for the newly freed Israelite community to create a set of standards and rituals to express their relationship with God and each other.  Through the tangibility of the sacrifices, as a holy practice, they drew closer to God.  Committing to these practices was committing to holiness and to the community.  

Which begs the question, given that we don’t offer animal sacrifices (Thank God!), and other elements of Biblical practice, how do we, as Contemporary Reform Jews, commit to holiness and our community?  Underlying the norms of Jewish community throughout its history is the uplifting of kindness, charity, and social responsibility as critical to being a strong, supportive community.   

Our Jewish Cultural Festival, which usually coincides closely with Shavuot, is an apt pairing.  I see it as a way that we can take our internally celebrated Shavuot messages and share a piece of our Jewish Joy with the greater community, emphasizing kindness, charity, and social responsibility, amid the food and fun.  I hope you will join me as a sponsor, as a volunteer (email Mariah Strickland at  mariahkholt@gmail.com, and/or as a participant for this year’s Festival on Sunday, June 9^th, 11a.m. – 7 p.m.