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Rabbi Linda's Blog: Siyyum: Conclusions, Reflections, Transitions

May 2025

One of our many beautiful Jewish traditions is that of siyyum, the formal conclusion and celebration of the study of a division of the Mishnah or Talmud, or in our time, any large section of a Jewish text. The celebration is joyful and is accompanied by music and a feast. This tradition speaks to me as I think about how to conclude this time with you, my beloved community.

Under better circumstances...

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Tot Shabbat is Going Strong

Since last fall we’ve met on the 2nd Friday of every month for Tot Shabbat, a program where we come together with young families to color, play, tell stories, schmooze, eat, sing, and celebrate Shabbat together as a community. Over the past 6 months we’ve had 30 families participate, with about 5‐7 families per month.

Many thanks to our volunteers and our rabbinic interns, who make it all possible: Jackie Gelman, Lynn Cashell, Lev DePaolo, Elaine Feldman, Alisa Herman‐Liu, Lydia Kendis, Randi Raskin Nash, Alan Ross, Kathy Trow, and, of course, Rabbi Nathan and Rabbi Linda.

If you’d like to attend or help out at a future Tot Shabbat please reach out to Jackie Gelman.

Upcoming dates: 5/9, 6/13

More About Tot Shabbat

Rabbi Nathan's Blog:
Rabbi's Note

May 2025

This month of May brings us fully into the rhythm of counting the omer ‐ a reminder of the importance of engaging in spiritual preparation to be able to receive the "Torah" (wisdom of our ancestors) you need to receive this year. My hope for all of us is that we use this month of preparation to draw from our rich spiritual tradition to weather the demands of this moment and to allow us to connect even more deeply to our Jewish identities as we move closer to the harvest and Torah festival of Shavuot.

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