All Night Study for Shavuot with Rabbi Cowan at Temple Sholom of West Essex

Five synagogues will join to commemorate holiday

Tikkun Leil Shavuot hosted by Temple Sholom, Rabbi Cowan keynoter 

            CEDAR GROVE, NJ (May 10, 2011) - Five Essex County synagogues will join together again to celebrate the holiday of Shavuot, which, according to Jewish tradition, commemorates the time when God gave the Torah to the Israelite people at Mt. Sinai thousands of years ago.  

            Traditionally, this holiday is celebrated with a Tikkun Leil Shavuot, an all night study and prayer gathering. This year’s Tikkun will begin with Shavuot evening services at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 7, at Temple Sholom of West Essex (TSWE), located at 760 Pompton Ave. in Cedar Grove. TSWE will serve as this year’s host synagogue for the annual gathering.

            The service will be led by TSWE’s clergy, Rabbi Laurence Groffman, Rabbi Emeritus Norman Patz and Cantor Betsey Peters-Epstein. Following services, participants will join together for kiddush with food and drink.

            After kiddush, Rabbi Rachel Cowan, director of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality http://www.ijs-online.org/about.php will deliver a keynote address titled “Spiritual Journeys: Mine and Yours.” The evening will continue with two series of workshops on topics such as Spiritual Drumming, Meditation, Yoga, and the study of Jewish texts. Rabbi Cowan will offer a workshop, “Charting/Mapping/Sharing Your Journey.”

            As per tradition, the Ten Commandments will be read at midnight and study will continue, non-stop, from 12:30 a.m. until the Tikkun concludes with a Shavuot morning service at 5. Teachers and presenters will include members and clergy of the participating congregations who, in addition to Rabbis Groffman and Patz and Cantor Peters-Epstein include: Rabbi Elliott Tepperman and Rabbi Darby Leigh of B’nai Keshet in Montclair, Rabbi David Greenstein of Shomrei Emunah, also in Montclair; Rabbi Aaron Kriegel and Cantor Marsha Schreier of Beth Ahm in Verona, and Rabbi Steven Kushner and Cantor Meredith Greenberg from Ner Tamid in Bloomfield.

            Congregants from the participating synagogues are invited to attend. Members of the  public who wish to attend are asked to register by contacting the TSWE office at 973-239-1321. Attendees may participate in all or part of the program. For more information, call the TSWE office or visit www.sholom.net