The theme of this week’s article is learning! As I write this article, the holiday of Shavuot is about to begin. I am also two days removed from a week of learning at the Hebrew Union College New York campus, as I begin my studies toward an MA in Jewish education.
If you ask any Jewish person on the street if they know what Shavuot is, I would give it 50/50 odds of whether or not they know. Some of them may respond, “That’s the Jewish cheesecake and blintzes holiday,” but I’ve found that Shavuot does not get enough credit for being one of the major festivals on the Jewish calendar.
For those who do not know, Shavuot commemorates the time when we received the Ten Commandments. It marks the end of the counting of the Omer, 49 days from when we started counting during Passover. In many communities, it is customary to stay up all night learning the Torah. Others, such as Temple Jeremiah, hold programming and study sessions to commemorate the holiday. No matter how you celebrate it, it is a time to reflect and to learn…and to eat cheesecake! There are many reasons of explanations for dairy on Shavuot, my favorite one being that it resembles the land of milk and honey.
As a child growing up in Kansas, I remember going to community-wide all-nighter programs on Shavuot. It was a time where, no matter your denomination of Judaism, the entire community gathered to learn. Seeing this as a child and a teen has truly helped shape me into the person and professional I am today. I remember seeing the entire community not holding back their learning because of differences in religious practice but embracing the differences for the sake of learning and the sake of community. A difficult setting to create in any community, but a beautiful one when accomplished.
I would be remiss if I didn’t briefly talk about my recent trip to learn at HUC in New York this past week. I am so grateful to work at a congregation that acknowledges and supports continuing education. This program is not only making me a more learned individual, but the content directly connects and will impact the education department at Temple Jeremiah. Having the opportunity to learn from professors and colleagues who are like-minded has already been more than I even imagined it would be. Learning as an adult has taken on a new form of connection for me. I hope that everyone can find a learning environment that connects in a way that I have connected through this program. I truly cannot thank Temple Jeremiah enough for supporting me in this program, and I cannot wait to share more of what I am learning over the next two years with our community.
Shabbat Shalom,
Matt Rissien