A Shavuot Custom That’s a Cut Above the Rest

Many of us have seen a lot of papercuts in the form of a Mizrach or Ketubah hanging on walls in Jewish homes. Papercutting is not something new to Jewish life. It began in the Middle Ages when in 1345 Rabbi Shem-Tov ben Yitzhak ben Ardutiel’s ink froze while he was writing a manuscript. A resourceful fellow, he did the next best thing – cut the letters into the paper. Around the 17th century, papercutting became a popular form for small religious artifacts like mizrachs, and guess what – Shavuot decorations too! By the 18th century, Eastern European Cheder and Yeshiva students were creating intricate lace patterns of flowers that they called Shavuoslekh (little Shavuot) which they displayed in the windows of their homes.

If you’re looking for a creative Shavuot classroom activity, this is it! Of course, no one expects you to come up with an intricate Shavuot papercut like the one above that I found on Google Images.

Try adapting these snowflake papercut instructions by transforming the flakes into flowers. Don’t wrinkle your nose and tell me to cut it out – you can do it!

Speaking of cutting it out, I know I can be a nudge, but don't forget to take advantage of this exclusive offer for TAMI LEHMAN-WILZIG KIDS BOOKS readers. Kar-Ben Publishing is offering 10% off your next order at their online bookstore. Use coupon code TAMI when checking out. Offer expires August 10, 2009. One use per customer. Offer not valid with any other discounts.

That's all the cutting up for now.
Have a Chag Sameach...Tami

Shavuot & Jewish American Heritage Month

Let’s put customs aside this time and focus on history. An article appearing in today’s Jerusalem Post reports how President Obama praised Jewish American Heritage Month -- a May event for the past three years. Having recently visited the Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, my curiosity was immediately piqued: could there be some type of historic event connected to Shavuot?

Surf, Google and ye shall find… sure enough, on May 28, 1773, Rabbi Raphael Chayyim Isaac Carregal of Hebron (pictured above along with the poster announcing his sermon) gave a Shavuot sermon at the Touro Synagogue that attracted the attention of Reverend Ezra Stiles, who was Minister of the Second Congregational Church of Newport, Rhode Island. Reverend Stiles eventually became President of Yale University. This was not the first time that Reverend Stiles went out of his way to hear the visiting Rabbi. In fact, the two became close friends.

Ask your students to become detectives. Find out what these two close friends talked about. What important words are found on Yale University’s seal? Is there a connection to Rabbi Carregal? Is there a connection between all of this and President Obama’s reflection that “Jewish American history demonstrates how America's diversity enriches and strengthens us all.”

Speaking of President Obama, in his proclamation he also notes that the Jewish American community has demonstrated that “Americans can choose to maintain cultural traditions while honoring the principles and beliefs that bind them together as Americans.” That brings me back to holiday customs. I’ll see you next week with one more quick and fun Shavuot custom you can do in the classroom.

Le’Hitraot…Tami

Shavuot Is The Original GREEN Holiday

One of the customs associated with Shavuot is decorating the synagogue with branches and leaves. I remember when I was a child my father applied this custom in our home, adorning framed artwork with branched leaves during the two-day holiday. There are several reasons we do this: among the holiday’s many names are Yom ha-Bikkurim – the day of the first fruits, and Hag ha-Katsir – the harvest holiday. Some Biblical commentaries add an additional twist to this custom. Since another name for Shavuot is Zman Matan Tora'teinu – the time we received the Torah (actually the 10 commandments) – it’s our way of remembering that the Torah was given to Moshe on Mount Sinai, a mountain with greenery. Another explanation is that baby Moses was hidden among the river reeds and we recall the way he was saved by using greenery for decoration.

A more relevant 21st century reason is that Shavuot was the original GREEN holiday. We read about our ecology-minded ancestors every year in the Book of Ruth. It is Ruth’s idea to glean the leftovers. One of Boaz’s servants explains to Boaz that Ruth is the Moabite woman who returned with Naomi and requested: “I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves." While the story then revolves around Boaz’s kindness to Ruth, beyond the message of tzedaka and helping one’s kinsmen, there is another lesson to be learned. Are the leftovers in the field Grade B harvest? Not at all! They are simply grain that has not been collected during harvest time. Both Ruth and Boaz understand that the grain should not go to waste.

Can we create a contemporary custom for this holiday? Absolutely. Just look to the Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island (JCDS). When we first came to Providence this year I read about an edible garden using a mixture of store bought and composted soil being planted at this school under the supervision of fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Jamie Woods. In an article published by the Jewish Voice and Herald, Mrs. Woods explained that “Judaism teaches us to be shomrei adama, guardians of the earth.” Mrs. Woods continued by elaborating on a very important Jewish law: “Bal tash’hit, which means not to destroy, is the concept that teaches us not to be wasteful, but to protect our natural resources. The establishment of an edible school garden has been a vision of mine for more than a decade…With the help of a dedicated garden team made up of teachers, parents and community members, the JCDS edible garden will become a reality this spring.”

What perfect timing for Shavuot – the original Bal tash’hit holiday. Planting a garden in the Fall so that students will harvest its produce in the Spring, making sure nothing goes to waste. Ruth and Boaz would be proud. It’s something for all of us to think about come next year. In the meantime, this year plant the seeds of this idea by discussing it with your students so that they will be ready to take part in a new Shavuot custom. As for Mrs. Woods and the JCDS, all I can say is Kol Ha’Kavod and Todah Rabah.

See you soon with more existing customs and new custom ideas.In the meantime, don’t forget to take advantage of this exclusive offer for Tami Lehman-Wilzig Kids Books readers. Go to Kar-Ben Publishing’s online bookstore and get 10% off your next order. Use coupon code TAMI when checking out. Offer expires August 10, 2009. One use per customer. Offer not valid with any other discounts.

Chag Sameach