Shavuot 2026 |
שבועות 5786
Hag Sameah!
חג שמח
At Congregation Beth El we enjoy Shavuot as a joyous festival of Torah study, creative expression, and happy celebration. Shavuot also marks the brighter and pleasant days of spring turning into summer, of a world turning fresh and green with life and beauty.
Shavuot Services Schedule
Erev Shavuot: Thursday, May 21
Taking Down the Fences
Tikkun Leil Shavuot - Shavuot Evening of Study and Celebration
7:30 p.m.
Jewish tradition teaches us to “make a fence around the Torah.” Fences have long stood at the heart of Jewish life. They preserve sanctity, protect practice, and give shape to a tradition meant to endure. Yet the very structures designed to safeguard can also distance. Fences do not only keep something in; they also keep something, or someone, out.
This Shavuot, as we gather to receive Torah anew, we will explore the paradox of the fence. How do boundaries function in Jewish tradition as protection, as devotion? When do they serve as gateways, and when do they become barriers to access, understanding, or belonging? Through text study and discussion we will ask, what does it mean to approach Torah with both reverence for its boundaries and openness to what lies beyond them?
Join us for a thoughtful and honest exploration of tradition, tension, and transformation as we celebrate Shavuot with holiday blessings, symbolic dairy foods, and desserts.
First Day Shavuot: Friday May 22
Festival Morning Minyan 9:30 a.m.
Torah on Shavuot Morning
On Shavuot we imagine ourselves at Mt. Sinai and rejoice in the gift of Torah. To honor our holiday’s spirit, before we take the Torah scrolls out of the Ark, our Shavuot Festival Morning Service, held in the Sam Jacobs Beit Midrash, will include a special opportunity to sit together and study Torah.
Second Day Shavuot: Friday May 23
Shabbat & Festival Morning Service 9:30 a.m.
Our Festival Morning Service includes Yizkor Memorial Prayers honoring our loved ones and reflecting on their legacies of Torah and blessing. Following our service, we’ll enjoy a Shabbat & Festival lunch.