Please use the Kabbalat Shabbat Zoom link to attend the Torah Class.
Shavuot 2026
The holiday of Shavuot falls Shavuot begins at sundown on Thursday, May 21st, and ends at nightfall on Saturday, May 23rd. While it is observed for one day in Israel, we observe it for two days in the diaspora.
On the first day we read Exodus 19:1–20:23, which chronicles the monumental revelation at Mount Sinai. Exactly seven weeks after the Exodus from Egypt, on the 6th of Sivan, the Israelite’s camp at the base of the mountain. After G-d designates them as a “Holy Nation” and a “Kingdom of Priests,” the people wholeheartedly accept, declaring, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do” (Exodus 19:8).
Amidst an intense experience of thunder, lightning, heavy smoke, and the sounding of a shofar, G-d descends upon the mountain and calls Moses upward. G-d then broadcasts the Aseret HaDibrot (Ten Utterances aka 10 Commandments), commanding the nation to believe in Him, reject idolatry, respect His name, observe Shabbat, honor one’s parents, and refrain from murder, adultery, theft, false testimony, and covetousness. Overwhelmed by the terrifying intensity of the Divine Presence, the people plead with Moses to serve as their intermediary, asking him to receive the Torah on their behalf and relay it to them.
On the second day of Shavuot we read Deuteronomy 14:22–16:17 which outlines the commandments for the three major pilgrimage festivals: Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot. It describes the historic obligation for the Jewish people to travel to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate these holy days in the presence of G-d. We also read the book of Ruth because it occurs during the barley and wheat harvests, reflecting Shavuot’s agrarian origins, along with how Ruth’s sincere conversion mirrors the Jewish people’s acceptance of the Torah.
Being that the 10 Utterances (aka 10 Commandments) are 3,338 years old, traced back to the Hebrew year 2448 (1313 BCE), is there anything we can learn from them today?
Do the 10 Utterances have anything to add to our lives, to our world, to our Spiritual Journey?
Come join us and let’s get into it!
Rabbi Scott is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
