For the second year in a row, Baltimore area Jewish congregations and organizations will come together virtually to observe the holiday of Shavuot, which this year will be celebrated Sunday evening, May 16, to Tuesday night, May 18.
“Come and Learn2: A Greater Baltimore Virtual Shavuot Experience” will be start at 7:30 p.m. on May 16 and conclude the next morning at 8:30.
Among the participating organizations are Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, Beth Am, Beth El, Beth Israel, Chizuk Amuno, Columbia Jewish Congregation, 4Front, Hinenu: the Baltimore Justice Shtiebl, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore, Jews United for Justice, Na’aleh: the Hub for Leadership Learning, the Pearlstone Retreat Center, and Repair the World Baltimore.
Shavuot is one of Judaism’s three biblical pilgrimage festivals, along with Sukkot and Passover. (In Israel and Reform circles, Shavuot is observed as a one-day festival.)
Traditionally, the custom of Tikkun Leil Shavot, or repairing the night of Shavuot, is when Jews physically come together, usually in synagogue settings, and attempt to stay awake all night to study such Jewish texts as the Book of Ruth and commemorate the revelation at Sinai.
Last year on Shavuot, due to the pandemic, the community came together virtually, for the first time ever, for more than 60 classes covering a vast array of Jewish and spiritual topics taught by local clergy, educators and lay leaders.
Among the offerings were “The Midrashim of Receiving Torah” by Rabbi Debi Wechsler, “Connecting to the Agricultural Roots of Shavuot” by environmental educator Sarah Rovin, “Using Torah to Help Young People Through Tough Times” by Rabbi Dena Shaffer, and “Songs for Hope, Healing and Comfort” by Cantor Benjamin Kintisch.
The concept for a night of virtual communal learning on Shavuot originated from an internal discussion between Rabbi Daniel Cotzin Burg and his staff at Beth Am Synagogue in Reservoir Hill. The rabbi subsequently reached out to members of the Baltimore Board of Rabbis, as well as to his colleagues in Harford and Howard counties, about the idea.
“I didn’t anticipate it becoming such a large event, but I said, ‘If there ever was a year for an interactive, community-wide Shavuot experience, this would be the year,’” Rabbi Burg told Jmore last year. “We just figured someone out there might like to collaborate, but it became every non-Orthodox synagogue in town, plus organizations that operate under The Associated [Jewish Federation of Baltimore] umbrella and beyond. …
“Everyone was thinking, ‘We’re going through all of this stuff, day to day, week to week, month to month, and we just came out from under Passover.’ So the timing was good, and people were interested,” he said. “It snowballed.”
For information about “Come and Learn2,” naalehbaltimore.org/programs-events/events/shavuot/.
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