When all has been said about Shavuot

Compared to most other holidays on the Jewish calendar, Shavuot is perhaps one of the dullest ritually speaking.

Consuming dairy products, hardly stacks up against the symbols and rituals associated with the High Holidays, such as blowing the shofar and listening to the familiar strains of Kol Nidre, or Passover, when we recall the Exodus from Eqypt and spend eight days eating matzah.

Last year The CJN's Rabbi Michael Stavsky discussed the Tikun Leil Shavuot – the custom of studying Torah all night and the recitation of the tikun composition – which for many is the most difficult Shavuot custom to observe.

After all the readings have been exhausted and the mind needs a rest check out Jewish Humor Central where among their posts you'll find this scene from Mel Brooks' classic film History of the World - Part 1. In it Brooks, playing Moses, gives us his explanation of how we ended up with "only" 10 commandments. Enjoy!

Chanukah's history and lighting rules

In an exclusive to cjnews.com, Rabbi Michael Stavsky takes us deep inside the meaning of and the lessons to be learned from the festival of lights. Chanukah comes alive in his retelling of the Second Temple's desecration and in his detailed account of the rules for lighting the menorah.

For your primer on the true meaning of the chag, jump to Rabbi Stavsky's column here.

An exclusive coming next week...

In an upcoming article exclusive to cjnews.com by Rabbi Michael Stavsky, the impending holiday of Shavuot will be discussed. Rabbi Stavsky's focus will explain what significant customs are associated with these holy days.

Most Jewish people have attended a Pesach seder, lit Chanukah candles and heard the shofar on Rosh Hashana. So, what about Shavuot? What special customs are observed on Shavuot? The Tikkun Leil Shavuot (literally translated to the rectification of the night of Shavuot), is the custom of studying Torah all night and the recitation of the tikkun composition, which for many is the most difficult Shavuot custom to observe.

For more on this check back at http://www.cjnews.com on Tuesday June 7 for all your answers.

Exploring Passover's Traditions...

The Seder so nice, we do it twice! But why??

Read Rabbi Michael Stavsky's latest holiday article:

http://bit.ly/pesachStory

Make sure you dance on Simchat Torah

Bringing back one of RABBI MICHAEL STAVSKY's favorite posts:

Judaism is filled with joyous holidays. The Torah commands us to “be happy on your holidays” (Deuteronomy 16:14), and we fulfill this commandment by refraining from work, spending the days praying to HaShem and eating good food.

But when one thinks of the most joyous of all holidays, what comes to mind? Many might say Purim, with its many beautiful practices, such as reading the megillah and exchanging mishloach manot. But during only one nine-day holiday period do we refer to the days as Zman Simchateinu (the time of our happiness). These are the holidays of...

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The Sukkah: An unusual Mitzvah

Rabbi Michael Stavsky will illustrate the meanings behind and wrapped up in the customs and practices of the Chag of Sukkot:

We’ve just completed the high holiday period known as the Yamim Noraim. We’ve spent countless hours praying, fasting and beseeching Hashem to bless us with a sweet, healthy and happy New Year. Now that it’s behind us, we are blessed with the most joyous of our holidays, Sukkot. Yet this festival (which the Torah and Talmud simply refer to as Chag, and is the only festival where we are specifically commanded to rejoice) requires us to leave the comforts of our homes and sit in a temporary hut called a sukkah. In this article, we’ll explore this most unusual of mitzvot....

Read the full article online now from The Canadian Jewish News.