Ahz mah (So what)

To raise a child in America today is a daunting task. To raise a child with a deep, positive sense of Jewish identity is even more daunting. It is for this reason that I want to honor a group of people in our community who play a crucial role in this process, and yet who are least often thanked - and they are the non-Jewish parents who are supportive of their children being raised Jewish. You encourage and support your children's participation in the life of the Jewish community through attending Community Learning, Shabbat and holiday services, and other temple activities. By your actions you are teaching your children the value of being raised in a faith tradition; I also imagine that at home they are learning respect for the tradition in which you were raised, and in which your extended family lives. Please know that your loving support and trust are deeply appreciated by the Jewish community, and that you are giving a precious gift to your children and to the world.

Spring is a favorite time for weddings. In the Jewish tradition, the ultimate wedding celebration happens in springtime. On the festival of Shavuot - May 19-20 this year - we celebrate the anniversary of the "marriage" of the Jewish people with God. The ketubah/marriage contract is the Torah. Like many Jewish holidays, Shavuot has multiple meanings. It is first mentioned in the ancient biblical text as a harvest festival. After the destruction of the ancient Temple made the bringing of agriculture offerings impossible, the early rabbis linked the festival to the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. The days from Passover until Shavuot are counted down to parallel the Israelites' journey out of slavery and into the wilderness to receive the Torah. What happened at Mount Sinai? We will never know. But we don't need to know in order to benefit from the deep teachings our tradition has developed around this holiday. Shavuot is known as "Z'man matan Torateinu,"