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Shavuot Musings
Although the holiday of Shavuot, which began Tuesday evening, often passes unobserved in the lives of many Jews today, it is a significant celebration marking the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.

This past Sunday, Chabad of Richmond completed and dedicated a new Torah scroll in memory of Rabbi Lipa Dubrawsky. The scroll had been commissioned some time earlier, but the ceremony and celebration this week provided a meaningful opportunity to honour the memory of a cherished local teacher. Chabad invited various members of the community to participate by “writing” a letter in the final passage of the Torah. What this meant in practice was to sit alongside the scribe and to gently place your hand on the back of the quill being used, while the scribe inked in an outlined letter. I was honoured to be invited to participate in this extraordinary mitzvah, and to participate in the completion of two letters corresponding with the first letters of my Hebrew name. Kol HaKavod to Chabad of Richmond for bringing people closer to Torah through personal participation in this very special experience.

One of the customs most associated with the holiday is the consumption of dairy products. There are numerous interpretations and explanations from our tradition, most of which are related, at their core, to some aspect of Torah, which the holiday celebrates. One is that the Torah is the source from which we derive the dietary prohibitions around mixing meat and milk. Another is that it is a way of honouring the reference to the Land of Israel as one flowing with milk and honey.

A few months ago when our Federation staff were gathered together, we somehow got onto the subject of family cheesecake recipes. The conversation led to a good-natured challenge to determine the best, and we agreed to have a Federation staff “cheesecake throw-down”. Of course it was only appropriate to hold it just before Shavuot. So Monday over lunch we sampled four offerings from among the staff. I’m sorry to say that my mother’s recipe, which has been known to receive standing ovations, didn’t carry the day.

On a more serious note, Monday evening we held our annual Lion of Judah Recognition Dinner, which brings together women in our community who make an annual gift of $5,000 or more to the Federation Annual Campaign. With the growth of our campaign and our Women’s Philanthropy Division, our cadre of Lions has grown to more than 140 – a testament to the enduring role that women play in providing leadership and sustenance to so many aspects of our community life.

The guest speaker was Jeannie Smith, the daughter of Polish rescuer Irene Gut OpDyke. OpDyke received international recognition for her extraordinary actions during the Holocaust – she used her position serving a high-ranking German officer to hide and save Jews. Irene’s book, In My Hands – Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer, provides a detailed account of her extraordinary story.

Irene has passed away but her daughter Jeannie carries on her mother’s work of telling Irene’s story, in order to combat those who would deny or revise the history of what happened during the Holocaust. Jeannie recounts the story beautifully, proudly wearing the Lion of Judah pin that Irene was given to recognize both her actions during the Holocaust and her work many years later in telling her story. Driving home after the event, I reflected on this incredible non-Jewish family, who by their simple humanity and courage, have in many ways cast their lot and fate with the Jewish people.

This touches close to the story of the Book of Ruth, which we read during Shavuot. The Book of Ruth is the story of the daughter-in-law of Naomi. When Naomi’s husband and then her two sons pass away, she decides to return to Bethlehem and encourages her daughters-in-law to return to their own families. But Ruth decides to stay with Naomi, saying “wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried.”

Now Irene and her daughter Jeannie haven’t become Jews, but in many ways they have become part of our extended family, sharing our priorities and our fears, and extending themselves to address them with us.

I hope you all had a wonderful Shavuot holiday.

Shabbat shalom!