Shavuot 5785

Sunday, June 1st 

• 9:30 AM | Tikkun Li’l Shavuot | Beth Am Courtyard* | RSVP HERE | Come join us for a festive celebration of Shavuot specially designed for children, 0 – 10 years old, and their families. We will come together at the beginning for singing and stories. A dairy lunch will be serviced. Email Susannah with any questions at skolstad@bethambaltimore.org
• 4 PM | Freedom is Written on the Tablets | Homewood Friends | RSVP HERE | Join Beth Am, Hinenu, and JUFJ for a pre-Shavuot program exploring immigration issues and how Jews can support immigrants at this time. 
• 8:30 PM | Tikkun Leil Shavuot | Home of Rabbis Daniel & Miriam Burg | RSVP HERE | Enjoy an evening of learning, singing, and celebrating Torah with Rabbis Daniel, Miriam, Tyler, and each other. Light dinner will be served. Address provided to those who RSVP. If you have any questions, please email Rav Daniel at ravdaniel@bethambaltimore.org.
  • Rav Daniel: A Few of My Favorite Things | During this 50th anniversary year, we eagerly await the completion of our new Sefer Torah this Fall. Shavuot is, of course, z’man matan torateinu, “the time of receiving Torah” during which we celebrate our people’s ancient inheritance. In honor of our newly arriving scroll, this year for our Tikkun L’eil Shavuot, I’ll be sharing my favorite passage from each of the Five Books of Moses. I’ll offer some context and rabbinic framing for why these verses speak to me and why I believe they are central to Jewish lives guided by Torah. I look forward to sitting with you in our home Sunday night as we sing, learn with Beth Am’s Rabbis, eat tasty dairy food, and imbibe the sweetness of Torah. 
  • Rav Tyler: “I Alone Can Fix it!”: Rambam On Prophecy and False Prophecy | When a person says that God has called them to transmit wisdom to the community, should we listen? What if that person says they were sent by God? The medieval Jewish theologian Maimonides (Rambam) discusses the qualifications of a prophet, and the dangers of a false prophet. His writings tell of a community desperately looking for truth and terrified of being led astray. Rambam develops a paradigm of leadership that that is as relevant as ever. We will look at his writings and think about what it might mean to seek truth in a noisy and messy world.

*Weather permitting 

Monday, June 2nd

• 12:30 PM** | Tikkun YOM Shavuot | Kiddush Room | RSVP HERE | Beth Am has always been a place where congregants learn from each other. After services on the first day of Shavuot, we’ll celebrate the Sinai revelation by learning Torah with a number of wonderful Beth Am’ers. Each class will be 30 minutes starting at approximately 12:30 PM during kiddush lunch and our learning will continue into the afternoon. Beth Am will provide coffee, tea, snacks and cheesecake!

Teachers: 

• David Finkler and Rabbi Alex Salzberg – Abraham’s Favored Son: Reading the Binding of Isaac Alongside the Casting Out of Ishmael
• Susannah Kolstad – Hachnasat Orchim: What happens when we center welcoming strangers in our community?
• Rabbi Kelley Gludt – Lies that Bind: Exploring the Consequences of Breaking the Ninth Commandment from Torah to Today
• Rabbi Ilan Glazer – Torah From Heaven – Whose Torah Are We Celebrating? Whose Torah Are We Receiving?
• Katie Kline – Jewish Visions of the End of the World

As our Sages instruct: tsei u’lemad, Go and learn!

Childcare available. 

** Timing is approximate

If you have any questions, please email Rav Daniel at ravdaniel@bethambaltimore.org