Shavuot: Pulling an All-Nighter for the Right Reasons

By Samantha Hulkower

Most Jewish holidays have some odd custom that perhaps we don't understand, but aren't really weirded out by it enough to not do it (such as eating a fish head on Rosh Hashana). Shavuot has a custom that is more familiar to college students than the rest of us - staying up all night learning. This was first done by Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai over 2,000 and then gained popularity again 400 years ago when the practice was resumed by the famed Kabbalist of Tzfat, the Arizal. Their motive was to make amends for (known as a Tikkun in Jewish parlance) the fact that the Jews overslept the morning they were supposed to receive the Torah. 

How could 3 million Jews just oversleep like that, especially after they had been preparing for this the past 49 days?! There are numerous explanations given, but there is one that especially resonates with me. Not only had the Jews been preparing themselves to receive the Torah in the weeks since they left Egypt on Passover, but those efforts were put into overdrive when Moses told them that in 3 days time the big day was going to happen. He also gave them a few extra tasks to do to help get ready. The Jewish people had been working so hard for so long, that when the day finally came, they overslept. Hasn't that happened to most of us? We spend so much time working on a report, or getting our house ready for guests, or some big, exciting event, and when we get a second to recoup, we crash. 

Life is often compared to a marathon, something we have to learn to pace ourselves in order to get through. If you're sprinting every time you have a big project in front of you, especially if you try to cram everything in the last few days before it's due, you're likely to collapse the second you stop running. You might want to give your all in order to have the best power point, or most delicious spread for your dinner party, but if you're too exhausted to give the presentation to your boss with enthusiasm, or to make it through dinner without yawning at your guests, was all that sprinting worth it? Shavuot is a reminder that the quality, and not just quantity, of preparation we do is important. It's especially easy before a big Jewish holiday, so when the time comes we're too tired to really enjoy what is going on around us.

This week, take some time to consider how you might fall into this trap, and ways to avoid it. It might seem like more time and effort to plan things out, but in the end, you'll have more time and energy for your project. And who knows, with enough preparation, you'll be able to join your friends staying up all night to learn, and not fall asleep in your cheesecake!

Samantha Hulkower is on sabbatical in the US from her sabbatical in Jerusalem. She's appreciating anxiously anticipating her aliya to Israel and trying to find the humor in every situation (especially dating). You can also view her blog on environmental issues in Israel here.

Shavuot

Shavuot commemorates the day the Jewish people received the Torah from G-d on Mount Sinai.  It marks the conclusion of the Counting of the Omer, the seven week period beginning the second day of Passover. Counting these days and weeks is in anticipation for receiving of the Torah. It has become custom for many to stay up all night on Shavuot and learn as well as eat cheesecake.

In memory of Shlomo ben Aryeh Zalman Z"L
 

Yom Yerushalayim

By Samantha Hulkower

Jerusalem Day, known as Yom Yerushalayim in Hebrew, is the anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem after the Six Day War in 1967. Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Chief Rabbi of Efrat, says that Jerusalem is as important to the State of Israel as Shabbat is to the Jewish people. What is it about Jerusalem that makes it so contentious, yet so celebrated by Jews all over the world? 

There is a sentence in Psalms, which Matisyahu turned into a popular song, that reads, "If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget [its skill]." (Psalms, 137:5).

A friend of mine recently broke two of the fingers on her right hand in a kick ball league accident (file under first world problems). While she could still function, it was very uncomfortable - not in a painful way necessarily, but awkward. She had to peck out emails instead of her usual speedy typing, cutting food took forever, and she gave up trying to blow out her hair. She told me that such a small injury was made all the more frustrating because it was having such a huge impact on her life.

That's what it means for Jews when the Psalmist says, "If I forget Jerusalem, let my right hand forget what it's supposed to do."  Sure, the Jewish people survived, from 1948, until Jerusalem was reunified in 1967, but it was not their natural way. There was something missing. Others might not see the necessity of a united Jerusalem being the capital, but for the rest of us, the distinction is obvious: since Israel won the city back after being attacked, Jerusalem, and the rest of the nation, has flourished. 


Samantha Hulkower is on sabbatical in the US from her sabbatical in Jerusalem. She's appreciating anxiously anticipating her aliya to Israel and trying to find the humor in every situation (especially dating). You can also view her blog on environmental issues in Israel here.

Israeli Innovations

By Samantha Hulkower

Most people have heard the statistic that Jews have won a disproportionate percentage of Nobel Prize awards considering, our relatively small population. So, it's no wonder that when you have an entire country of Jewish people working together, amazingly innovative things are created.

Those black tubes snaking around the trees and bushes in parks are so ubiquitos, especially in dry climates, it feels like it's been around forever, but drip irrigation was only invented in the 1960s in Israel, as a way to water the Kibbutzim as efficiently as possible. Now, it's a world-wide practice, used to conserve water while keeping fruits and vegetables irrigated. Also in agriculture, the country developed the first cherry tomatoes and potatoes that can grow with salty water irrigation (perfect for using desalinized water).



The whole country was also an experiment in seeing if an electric car could really replace a more conventionally powered vehicle on the road. A Better Place had the idea to sell people a car, and then rent them the electric battery (which makes the upfront costs a lot less). When your battery runs low, instead of going home to charge it, drivers pull into stations where they change out their batteries for a fresh one, and drive off - easier than filling up your gas tank! With the country being about the size of New Jersey, Israelis are never out of range of a new battery. While we're on the road, how could we not mention Waze - the app that helps you navigate around traffic jams. Inventions like these make you wonder how we ever managed without them!

In terms of security, Israel is ahead of the game in most areas - I'm pretty confidant that since they let me keep my shoes on while going through security, they must have something big up the sleeve. The Iron Dome sounds like something out of the movies or a video game - a machine that shoots missiles out of the sky before they can harm civilians. It was the first thing President Obama saw when he visited Israel earlier this spring.

We could keep going on with all the cool things that have come out of Israel - but we'll end on a light note. Having a dog is a lot of fun, but cleaning up after it on walks is not. Fortunately, an innovative Israel created Ash Poopie - a contraption that vaporizes your dog's waste - without you even having to bend down. Whatever your needs - Israel has an invention for you!

Samantha Hulkower is on sabbatical in Jerusalem from the US. She's appreciating all that life has to offer in Israel and trying to find the humor in every situation (especially dating). You can also view her blog on environmental issues in Israel here.

Burning Bright on Lag Ba'Omer

This Saturday night marks the day of Lag Ba'Omer. It is the 18th of Iyar, which is the 33rd day (numerically represented as Lamed [30] Gimmel [3] - hence 'Lag') of Sefirat HaOmer. While not a holiday in the same sense that Passover, Shavuot, or Chanukah is, it's still a festive day, especially in Israel, where people light huge bonfires.

Some people are happy just to make giant fires, have a BBQ, and otherwise enjoy a day with family and friends, but there is a deeper meaning behind the action. The period of 49 days from Passover to Shavuot is a time of mourning for Jews, to remember the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva who died from a plague during this period of time 2,000 years ago. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai was one of the 5 students that Rabbi Akiva started over with, once the plague had ended. He became the greatest teacher of Torah in his generation and dictated the guide to kabbalah - the Zohar, on his deathbed.

Lag Ba'Omer happens to be the yahrzeit (anniversary of his death) of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, and the bonfires are lit to commemorate the great fire and intensity that burned around Rabbi Shimon. He's actually known for setting the land on fire with his gaze. Tens of thousands of people flock to his grave on Mount Meron in northern Israel to celebrate, camping out days or weeks in advance to secure a good spot. It's kind of like a Phish concert for chassids.

The Zohar says that it's easier to connect with a great Rabbi after his death, than when he was alive, because they are more available for connection (since they aren't 'constrained' by their body), which is also why so many people go to his grave. Part of what Rabbi Shimon taught was how to find the holiness in yourself and others. You don't have to be at his grave in order to tap into the spiritual potential of the day. This year, on Lag Ba'Omer, why not take the time to nurture a particular character trait you see in a friend, or yourself. You never know how bright you might inspire others to burn.