Shout out to Shavout!

Sundown brings us to a pretty unobserved but important Jewish Holiday. SHAVUOT! This is where we celebrate that something MAJOR happened at Mount Sinai. We have counted the Omer since Pesach and now it is time to celebrate the giving of the Torah.

“It is a tree of life for those who hold fast to it.”

The Torah is a pretty amazing book. Whether you believe it was given at Mt. Sinai in completion, that Moses wrote it, that some sages got together later and wrote it. That it holds stories that teach values. That it holds literal stories. However you look at it, this book without vowels or puncuation is pretty fucking amazing.

When I was in Durango, I was asked to dress the Torah to help return it to the Ark. Since I’m not quite jewish, it was the first time I’d come in contact with a Torah Scroll. It was overwhelming to be a part of the ritual of this book. I get a little teary eyed thinking about how it felt to dress the Torah. To be allowed to have contact. It isn’t that it is reserved for the Cohens or the Rabbi, I simply hadn’t done anything Torah-wise.

So tonight we celebrate being given the Torah. I’m going to try and get to the Shavuot service at my temple and then head to Temple Shalom for the late night study session that goes from 11PM to 4AM. And then go to work tomorrow?

Happy Shavuot!