Shavuot 2017 in Jerusalem
Pay no attention when people say that Tel Aviv is the city that never sleeps. Spend one Shavuot in Jerusalem and you’ll see what not sleeping is really all about.
Shavuot is the holiday that is the culmination of the Omer, 49 days of daily counting between Passover and Shavuot.
Tradition tells us that Shavuot is the day on which the Jews received the Torah on Mount Sinai. Because of the legendary story that the nation slept in on this important day, there is a custom to stay up all night learning Torah as a “tikkun,” a reparation. This custom is called tikkun leyl Shavot.
There is an amazing amount of Torah learning opportunities available on Shavuot night in Jerusalem. And in many of the neighborhoods, if you decide to walk around to take in the Shavuot ambiance, you will find a quiet yet energetic feel on the streets.
All that being said, maybe the most special experience of all on Shavuot night, or should I say at dawn, is to join thousands of people at the Western Wall slightly before sunrise in order to experience dawn breaking at this holy site. Pay attention how as the sun rises hundreds raise their voices in the recitation of the prayer Shma Yisrael, fulfilling the tradition of reciting this prayer as early in the day as possible.
Be prepared for a cool evening and a hot morning. Bring a sweater over short sleeves, a bottle of water and a sun hat.
Shavuot falls on the sixth of Sivan. This year it falls on the eve of June 3 and ends after sundown on June 4, 2014.
Learning on Shavuot eve
Roaming the streets late at night in itself will be a unique experience. But if you also want to do some Torah learning, below is a list of some recommended English Torah learning programs around the city.
The large majority are free and open to the public. All the learning programs take place on the night of Tuesday, June 3 through to the wee hours of Wednesday, June 4, 2014. Enjoy!
Shir Chadash Synagogue
Shir Chadash is a Zionistic, modern Orthodox synagogue in Katamon.
When: Tuesday-Wednesday, June 3-4, 2014, 11:00 pm-sunrise
Where: Pear home, 54/3 Hapalmach Street, Katamon
More information: shirhadash613@gmail.com
11:00 pm: Children’s tikun leyl/Hevruta learning with parents
11:30 pm: Dessert reception
12:00 am: The Wise Man Versus the Clever Fool: The Shavuot Experience by Rabbi Gedaliah Gurfein
1:00 am: Leave to Receive: Unpacking the First of the Aseret Hadibrot by Rabbi Sam Shor
1:45 am: Flower, Cheesecake and Tikkun Leyl Shavuot: The Holiday of Minhagim by Rabbi Yossi Goldin
2:30 am: Da’as Torah and its Discontents by Professor Eric Lawee
3:15 am: The Talking Heads of Halacha by Rabbi Ian Pear
4:00 am Walk to Western Wall or…
4:30 am: Megilat Ruth at Shir Hadash followed by Vatikin
Pardes in Talpiot
Pardes is an egalitarian Torah learning institute in Talpiot.
When: 11:00 pm, Tuesday, June 3 – 4:00 am, Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Where: The Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies
More information: https://www.facebook.com/pardesinstitute
11:00 pm-12:30am:
Judy Klitsner: The Tanakh’s “original sin”
David Levin-Kruss: I am the Torah, the Torah is me
Ruth Gan Kagan: White fire on black fire
12:45-2:15 am:
Gila Fine: The rabbi who came back to life
Daniel Roth: “Torah scholars increase peace in the world” – Really!? How?
Shira Weiss: Free choice versus divine determinism
2:304:00 am:
Daniel Landes: Walking the walk / Talking the talk
Aish Hatorah in the Old City of Jerusalem
Aish Hatorah is an ultra-Orthodox learning center in the Old City focused on beginning learners.
When: Midnight to 4:00 am, Wednesday, June 4, 2014 (the night of Tuesday)
Where: The Dan Family of Canada Aish Hatorah Center, across from the Western Wall
More information: +972-2-628-5666, jerusalem@aish.com
12:00-1:00 am: What do we mean by Torah
By Rabbi Motty Berger
1:00-2:00 am: Spirituality and Sinai
Rabbi Yom Tov Glaser
2:00-3:00am: Saw you at Sinai
Rabbi Shmuel Schwartz
3:00-4:00am: The Book of Ruth
Rabbi Avi Geller
Brought to you by the Essentials Program of Aish Hatorah
Shavuot Comedy Rebuke Special
Off the Wall Comedy Basement is a comedy club in Jerusalem’s center of town opened and run by David Kilimnick, an immigrant from the USA.
When: 12:30 am, Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Where: Off the Wall Comedy Basement, 34 Ben Yehuda Street, down the stairs , near the old Mashbir
Entrance fee: Free
More information and to reserve: +972-50-875-5688, https://www.facebook.com/events/782675345084402/
For something off the beaten track and really quite different than any other tikkun leyl Shavuot you might experience in the city, join comedian and rabbi David Kilimnick’s Shavuot Comedy Rebuke Special, based off his Sermons of Rebuke.
Watch David’s inner rabbi come out as he takes you through each of the Torah portions while rebuking in a way only clergymen know how.
Other things to do
Also be sure to check out the wonderful vocal festival that takes place annually on Shavuot at the nearby town of Abu Gosh. The festival includes 80 masterpieces performed by over 800 local and global artists such as soloists, choirs, ensembles and orchestras. Check it out >>