Happy Shavuote - the Jewish Festival by Rabbi David Hartley Mark

HAPPY SHAVUOTE | Foundation for Pluralism

Festivals of the World is a series of articles highlighting the essence of each major religious festival celebrated in the world. We are pleased to share the essence of Shavuote, a Jewish festival of Harvest written by Rabbi David Hartley Mark on Jewish Festivals.

The Rabbi says,  you can eat a Dairy Dish (Cheese Pastry is always in Good Taste) for Shavuote. As a token of building one world, this morning, I did my bit, I had a glass of milk since I am allergic to Cheese. We wish a very Happy Shavuote to our Jewish friends.
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Shavuote, the Jewish Festival of WeeksBy Rabbi David Hartley Mark

           Shavuote was originally a harvest feast thanking God for causing the earth to produce grain. Ancient Israel suffered from irregular rainfall, in contrast to Egypt, where the Nile River rose reliably to irrigate the Delta.

            After the liberation drama of Passover and the leafy colors of autumnal Sukkot, Shavuote is relatively bare of symbolism. It commemorates the Giving of the Torah, the Five Books of Moses, on Mt. Sinai. Its principal message is that of Torah study—but that is a perpetual commandment, incumbent upon Jews the year round. There is little, therefore, to make Shavuote unique. Its focus is culinary rather than spiritual: Jews customarily eat dairy foods on this holiday, for various reasons. Studying Torah is compared to eating milk and honey, as the Hebrew Bible has it: “Honey and milk are under your tongue” (Song of Songs 4:11). Another reason is that Torah scholars are traditionally poor, and cannot afford to eat much meat; this is the only holiday on which we all get to “impersonate” Torah scholars, simply by eating dairy. Finally, we recall that when the Israelites were sojourning in the wilderness and received the Torah at Mt. Sinai, it included the laws for keeping kosher. The Israelites realized that their meat was not kosher, and so ate only dairy foods for a day while they slaughtered cattle in the kosher style and got fresh meat.

            Reading the Biblical Book of Ruth is an important feature of this holiday. Its themes, those of tribal loyalty, the harvest, and romance, are all crucial to the Shavuote festival. Despite being a member of an enemy tribe, Moab, Ruth remains steadfast and stays with her beleaguered mother-in-law, Naomi, even after Ruth’s husband dies. The two bereft women return to Israel during the harvest season, and Ruth becomes a gleaner in the fields to gather food for herself and the hapless Naomi. There, she meets Boaz, a distant relative of Naomi’s, who later marries her. She is considered the first official Jew-by-choice, one of millions who have joined our people through the centuries and enriched us by their devotion. God rewards Ruth’s steadfastness by making her the great-grandmother of David, who becomes the mightiest king of Israel, and ancestor of Messiah.

            Commemorating as it does the Giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai to the Israelites, and from them to the entire world, it is useful to remember its most basic law: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18). The rabbis in the Talmud interpreted this to mean that, “If you do not know what hurts your neighbor, and do nothing to relieve their pain, how can you truly say you love them?” As Shavuote begins this Saturday night, May 23, let us begin the pursuit of peace in our own town, our own neighborhood, and in our hearts. Happy Shavuote to all!

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Rabbi David Hartley Mark, M.A., M.Phil., is a minister, teacher, writer, and public speaker. He was a fulltime pulpit rabbi for 35 years, serving pulpits in NJ, NC, and NH, and is currently rabbi at Temple Sholom in Pompano Beach, FL (congregation affiliation for identification purposes only), teaching college English during the week. He began his graduate studies in English by specializing in 17th Century English Literature, where theology, politics, and poetry interface, and currently takes a strong interest in how New England Puritanism metamorphosed into the strong influence of fundamentalism of all kinds in American Politics today. He has done interfaith work during all of his rabbinate, receiving a Seacoast NH Dr. Martin Luther King Award during his tenure there, and has spoken on both TV and radio. He blogs at http://deitychaser.blogspot.com, and writes short stories and poetry. He is married with two grown children, and lives in South Florida, which he loves for its cultural liveliness and diversity.

Festivals of the World: Passover - Jewish Festival of Freedom

Festivals of the World:  Jewish Passover | Foundation for Pluralism | Americans Together
Link: http://foundationforpluralism.blogspot.com/2015/03/festivals-of-world-passover-jewish.html

Passover is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the story of the Exodus, when Jews were freed from slavery in Egypt.  It is celebrated for seven or eight days and one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays.

Tonite marks the Passover over with a Seder, a ritualized dinner to commence the Passover. A few years ago, my daughter and I were guests at Temple Shalom for the Passover Seder, it was a great experience reading the scriptures and following the tradition.

The day is not far when all of us on the planet, will learn about each other, and see the beauty and essence in each tradition and possibly celebrate and commemorate. Knowledge leads to understanding, and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of the otherness of others, thus creating a cohesive enjoyable world for us.  Please do share this with your non-Jewish friends.

"Festivals of the World" is an educational series by Mike Ghouse that has been active since 1993. When we live in the same communities as neighbors, we might as well learn about each other. The best way to build cohesive societies is for its members, is to participate in festivities as well as commemorations of each other, or, at least understand each other's' joys and sorrows. Please note the simplicity in writing is designed for people of other faiths to learn and to know, so we can function cohesively.

I am pleased to introduce Rabbi David Hartley Mark, who will be helping me share information about Jewish Holidays. The information follows the article.  You will find information about most holidays by searching the name of the holiday in the search box at http://foundationforpluralism.blogspot.com/ it will also be shared at various yahoogroups including Foundationforpluralism@yahoogroups.com

Thank you.

Mike Ghouse
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Passover, Festival of Freedom

By Rabbi David Hartley Mark, M.A., M.Phil.

Jewish Educator and English Instructor

          Of all Jewish holidays, Passover’s theme is the most universal: the message of freedom. ‘Way back in 1400 BCE, during the reign of the mighty Pharaoh Ramses II (or perhaps his son, Merneptah), an invisible God reached out of the heavens and into human history. “Let My people go!” ordered Moses, His prophet, and, shocked and demoralized by ten plagues which afflicted his country, his cattle, and his people, Ramses had no choice but to comply, according to the biblical Book of Exodus.

          Today, this message continues to resonate in oppressed nations worldwide, where uncounted millions of human beings yearn for the very freedoms which we Americans take for granted: freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.

What do Jews do during Passover, Pesach in Hebrew? For the seven-day (eight, outside of Israel) period of the holiday, observant Jews refrain from eating leavened foods, and instead eat foods consisting of  matzah, the grain of which (usually wheat) has been mixed with water and baked before eighteen minutes have passed, in remembrance of the speed in which the Israelites departed Egypt during the Exodus.

In synagogue or temple, Passover features temple prayers and Torah (The Holy Scroll of the Pentateuch, or Five Books of Moses) Readings relating to the Exodus and to the Springtime Harvest, as well as the Prayer for Dew, reminding us of the holiday’s agricultural roots as the start of the Harvest Season in Israel.

The holiday is largely home-based, with the seder (Hebrew, “order”) meal, the special feast, at its center. This year, Jews will enjoy their seder-meals on Friday and Saturday evenings, April 3 and 4.

The Seder is a repast full of symbolism: while singing and chanting prayers and songs from a special book called the Hagadah, (Hebrew, “the Telling”), we eat white horseradish, the “bitter herb” which reminds us of the bitterness of slavery, and dip green parsley, the symbol of springtime, into salt water, to recall the bitter tears of slavery, while often reclining at the table in the attitude of free people. Indeed, the seder represents the earliest audio-visual learning experience known to humankind, and everything we do there is meant to provoke questions and discussion, often far into the night—although we encourage our youngest children to become involved, too, since we center our Judaism on religious education and positive experiences. Jews must remain Jewish; it is our fate and our good fortune.

It is a dinner full of ritual, in which the participants partake of four cups of wine, to represent the four promises God made to our ancestors: “I took you out of Egypt; I saved you from Pharaoh’s wrath; I liberated you from slavery; I took you to be My special people.” Because of this, the number four resounds throughout the Seder-Meal: the Hagadah-book tells the youngest participant to ask Four Questions relating to different foods, different aspects of freedom. It describes Four Children: the Wise, the Wicked, the Simple, and the One Who Does Not Know How to Ask, referring either to actual types of children who must be educated in ways suitable for their learning abilities or personalities. It might also symbolize all human beings, who must pass through different stages of development, before learning to understand and accept human differences—a crucial stage in reaching World Peace among the Races, Religions, and Ethnicities. That is the Universal Message of Passover—liberation from hatred and prejudice, and we pray for the swift arrival of that day.

Passover marks the beginning of the spring harvest season. Accordingly, the temple service during the holiday includes a prayer for dew, representing both God’s visible grace upon the earth, and the gentle rain which sustains the standing barley. May Passover 2015 bring blessings of peace and freedom for all!

Rabbi David Hartley Mark has an extensive educational and teaching background.  He has earned several academic degrees including a Master’s in Philosophy, advanced studies in Judaism and Rabbinical studies.  

Festivals of the World:  Jewish Passover | Foundation for Pluralism | Americans Together
Link: http://foundationforpluralism.blogspot.com/2015/03/festivals-of-world-passover-jewish.html