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Shavuot with Adath Israel

Wow! How this year seems to be flying by. In just two weeks we will be celebrating Shavuot. That being the case, what should you expect? Here’s a tentative schedule:

Thursday, May 25th

8:05pm Mincha followed by a class 

9:10pm Ma’ariv followed by dinner and a debate (RSVP required ASAP, $36 per person)

Friday, May 26th:

9:30am Shacharit followed by a catered lunch in memory of Valery Pasynkov, husband of Bella Pasynkova and father of Polina Pasynkova and Anna Kelenson. Mincha following lunch

6:30pm Kabbalat Shabbat/Ma’ariv

Saturday, May 27th

9:30am Shacharit

11:30am Yizkor

12:30pm Lunch followed by Mincha

9:09pm Havdalah

9:30pm Ma’ariv 

Now that you know more or less know what to expect from A.I. What should A.I. expect from you?

Here’s some food for thought.

There was once a wealthy man who went to see the Rosh Yeshiva about a groom. He wanted only the best student in the yeshiva! He offered to give the student all the money in the world, but he had to be the best! 

The Rosh Yeshiva pointed and said, see over there, that is the best student of our Yeshiva. So, the wealthy man took the groom home with him and even before the wedding he gave him gold and silver and a huge mansion to live in. 

On Shabbos and Yom Tov, the wealthy man had the student at his side and told everyone, this is my new groom! And everyone was full of admiration – what an amazing groom!

After several months went by, the groom asked his father in-law to be, “What’s going on here? Where’s the bride? When’s the wedding?”
“Actually”, said the wealthy man, “I don’t have a daughter.”
“So… if there’s no daughter then why did you bother finding a groom?!”
“Look”, the wealthy man said, “all the other wealthy people in town are going around with a groom at their side. They get so much kavod (honor), yet I have more money than them! I also want the honor of a wonderful groom!”

My friends, when we prepare for Shavous and buy flowers, get a haircut, buy blintzes and cheesecake, we think we’ve got everything for the holiday! But where is our bride? Are we coming to the holiday with the Torah, having learnt it and preparing to continue learning, or do we say everyone else is preparing like this, everyone else has a groom so I want one too…

Now’s the time to think about and act on choosing a Torah topic to study on an ongoing basis. Let this Shavuot be your own personal day of accepting the Torah anew.