Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on May 22, 2020

Even as the world takes baby steps towards reopening the economy and returning to a semblance of business as usual, its clear that many will remain shut in for some time and that many communal institutions, including some synagogues, will remain closed for the foreseeable future.

To serve those shut in for Shavuot, which begins this year at sunset on Thursday, May 28 and ends at nightfall on Saturday, May 30, the Chabad.org editorial team has created a cornucopia of tools and resources to help them celebrate and relive the Sinai experience in their own living rooms.

The RebbeRabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memoryhas encouraged every living Jew, from newborns to nonagenarians and beyond, to be present during services on the first morning of Shavuot, when attendees recreate the experience by reading the record of the event from the Torah scroll.

For those whom synagogue attendance will not be an option, the team created a guide on how to read the Ten Commandments at home, accompanied with a version to be printed before the holiday, replete with Hebrew and English texts, instructions and questions to foster meaningful discussion.

Another major element of the holiday is the custom to remain awake for the entire first night of Shavuot, studying a text known as Tikkun Leil Shavuot. Those unable to read this text traditionally learn other Torah subjects or attend classes. To aid those who will be unable to attend classes, the team collected essays and learning materialsin a wide array of interests and stylesto be printed (before the start of the holiday), and then studied and enjoyed over Shavuot.

Since people will be praying at home without the benefit of a rabbi or others to guide them through the prayer service, a text with page numbers, as well as information regarding the Yizkor memorial prayer, has been prepared.

Even in places where services will have resumed in a limited fashion, communal meals and receptions remain on hold. To help people prepare their own meals (especially the dairy repast traditionally enjoyed on Shavuot), a full line of recipes, which run the gamut from traditional blintzes to Italian creations with names that are difficult to spell and almost impossible to pronounce, has been collected and made available.

Children, who served as the guarantors for the covenant at Mount Sinai, are central to the Shavuot celebration. To ensure that they are included in the festivities, a special Shavuot party packet with games, stories and even an edible activity has been prepared for pre-holiday printing.

For those wishing for a one-stop shop, various offerings have been aggregated and presented in an easy-to-read format aptly titled How to Celebrate Shavuot at Home.

Read more from the original source:

Receiving the Torah This Shavuot in Living Rooms Around the World - Tips on how to read the Ten Commandments at home, inspiration for the holiday,...

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