Seven weeks after Passover, after commemorating our ancestor’s freedom from slavery and exodus from Egypt, we celebrate Shavuot. Translated often as the ‘Feast of Weeks,’ it, like many of our festivals, was tied to the agricultural cycle as an ancient grain harvest festival. For most of us, however, Shavuot is far better known as זמן מתן תורתינו z’man matan Torateinu, (arguably) the single most important event in Jewish history: when we received the Torah at Mount Sinai, transforming and uniting us, for the first time ever, into a people.

Our sacred text and the commentaries that follow note that everyone who is a Jew today stood at the mountain together with the children of Israel along with the “strangers in the camp.” (Deut. 29:9-14). Painting a vivid picture of the exact moment, Exodus 18 reads, “There was thunder and lightning, a thick cloud, the sound of a shofar (ram’s horn) and smoke. The earth itself quaked!”  -- it was so powerful that people saw the thunder as our senses became interchangeable. Perhaps difficult to imagine today, but abundantly worthwhile to try to understand, the impact of all of us standing together experiencing that extraordinary moment, each in our own way, but in a collective moment of awe and radical change, undoubtedly leaves us with many questions close behind.

The many pages of the Passover Haggadah remind and encourage us to deepen our understanding and expand our compassion by seeing ourselves as having been in Egypt, and Shavuot encourages us to deepen and expand our Jewish identity by envisioning ourselves as part of the immense crowd standing at the foot of Mount Sinai.  As we head toward summer and a time of change, focusing on developing our understanding, compassion, and Jewish identity — especially during such a fraught and worrisome time ­­­­­— ought to be a priority, informing and elevating the weeks ahead.

Traditionally, Shavuot is known as a celebration of the covenantal relationship between God and the Jewish people, focused on what it means to be committed to one another. This season offers us the opportunity to pause, to examine this quintessential sacred relationship and all our important relationships. At the heart of Mount Sinai was a commitment to a relationship with God. At the heart of Temple Sinai lies an unmistakable commitment to relationships with one another, with our wider community, with Judaism and with God.   The depth of care for one another, for all that is holy, was evident from the first day I joined you and remains remarkable today.

Reflecting on this sacred season and as I prepare to depart from Rochester after 20 years and Temple Sinai after 8 years, I am profoundly aware and appreciative of the richness of Torah I have received – both ancient and modern. Together, we have studied and debated; we have met, planned, and rallied, we have laughed and we have cried; we have welcomed newcomers and said goodbye to many; we have celebrated and commemorated; and we have worked unwaveringly to address the needs of many. In this my last month at Temple Sinai, I am abundantly grateful to you for the living Torah I encounter each day. 

The original Sinai experience was a seminal moment, a clarion call to reflect on the past, pay attention to the present, and look ahead to the future. Dotted with fear and uncertainty, punctuated by awe, and propelled by hope. Standing together at Temple Sinai now, as standing together at Mount Sinai did then, beckons us to consider who and how we, as a people, are meant to be.

May this season bring you warmth, meaning, and joy.  Wishing you a chag Shavuot sameach!