What a Weekend! Shabbat and Shavuot Back to Back

It's going to be a busy weekend. Tonight we welcome Shabbat as we do every week. But Saturday night marks the beginning of the holiday of Shavuot, one of the three pilgrimage festivals that brought our ancestors to the Temple in Jerusalem each year.

As it happens, we're in Jerusalem this week, and we'll be spending all night Saturday night attending lectures on Torah topics and partaking of the traditional cheesecake and blintzes (Yum!).

Shavuot doesn't get much respect (as comedian Rodney Dangerfield might have said) outside of Israel, probably because it doesn't have the vivid symbols and popular songs that we see and hear on Passover and Sukkot. But in Israel, all night learning is a big deal. The Jerusalem municipality publishes a map and list of lectures to help residents and visitors find their way to all the synagogues that are open all night.

It is a very significant holiday, after all. Today we're sharing a video by Rabbi Eve Posen of Congregation Neveh Shalom in Portland, Oregon. With the down-to-earth title of "What the heck is Shavuot," she gives a clear explanation of its importance and customs.

We'll be observing Shavuot on Sunday here in Israel while folks in other countries extend the holiday through Monday. We'll be back on Tuesday with our usual mix, focusing more on humor than we have in the last few days.  Enjoy, Shabbat shalom, and Chag Sameach!
 
A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.