Calling all FVJN adults!
Currently we offer a book group and a film club, as well as gardening (a fun and helpful activity!), and other volunteer opportunities. Would you like more? Social events? Learning opportunities? We would love to offer more, and to do so, we need your ideas as well as your participation! Please send your ideas and suggestions to: rachely@fvjn.org.
Lag B’Omer
What is it? Lag B’Omer is the 33rd day of the Omer (a verbal counting of each of the forty-nine days between Passover and Shavuot), which falls on May 10th, this year.This holiday is an oasis of joy in the midst of the sad Sefirah period which is almost unnoticed by most contemporary Jews. Yet it contains historic lessons of such great severity ― that this generation must not only unravel the mystery of Lag B’Omer but will discover that its own fate is wrapped in the crevices of its secrets.
This fifty-day period should have been a time of joyful anticipation, as Jews literally “count the days” from the first night of Passover until Mattan Torah ― the revelation of Torah at Mt. Sinai which took place on Shavuot, exactly fifty days after the Exodus. While the Exodus marks the physical birth of the Jewish nation ― the Giving of Torah completes the process through the spiritual birth of the Jewish nation.
The reason for sadness during this period, the Babylonian Talmud tells us, [Yevamot:62:2] is that during this period, Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students, who lived 1,850 years ago in the Roman dominated Land of Israel, died from a mysterious God sent plague. Why did they die? Because the Talmud teaches, “they did not show proper respect to one another.” Lag B’Omer is celebrated on the thirty-third day because on that day the plague ended and Rabbi Akiva’s students stopped dying.
This is observed as a period of semi-mourning. Weddings, music and haircuts are not permitted, and some do not shave. It is on the sad side of Sefirah that we come across the holiday of Lag B’Omer, the one day during this sad period when our mourning is halted; when sadness is actually forbidden.
The one-day holiday is celebrated with outings, bonfires, and other joyous events. Many visit the resting place of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in northern Israel. Rabbi Shimon lived in the second century C.E., and was the first to teach the part of the Torah known as the Kabbalah. He also authored the basic writings of Kabbalah known as the Zohar. On the day of his passing, he instructed his disciples to mark the date as “the day of my joy.” So each Lag B’Omer, we celebrate Rabbi Shomon’s life and the revelation of the esoteric soul of the Torah.
Lag B’Omer also celebrates another event: The Talmud relates that in the weeks between Passover and Shavuot, a plague hit the disciples of the great sage Rabbi Akiva, “because they did not act respectfully towards each other.” On Lag B’Omer, the deaths ceased. Thus, Lag B’Omer also carries the theme of the mitzvah to love and respect one’s fellow (ahavat yisrael).
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Teen Walk for Israel Sunday, May 6
Look Back, Walk Forward, the official teen Walk for Israel. For the first time, teens from all over Chicagoland celebrate Israel’s independence with a journey through Jewish history. The day begins at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Skokie with a heartfelt program with Holocaust survivors, followed by a Walk with Israel from the museum to the Mayer Kaplan JCC. The day continues with advocacy programming, hands-on service projects, sports and more! This program is offered to teens in grades 8–12 only. SPACE IS LIMITED, so register today at http://www.juf.org/idays/iteens.aspx. Let me know you are registering and we will organize a bus. Locations & Times: Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center (9603 Woods Drive, Skokie) 9:00 a.m. Registration 10:00 a.m. Program 11:15 a.m. Teen Walk with Israel Mayer Kaplan JCC (5050 Church Street, Skokie) ———-iDays! 2012 Israel Solidarity Days! May 6
CBS (Congregation Beth Shalom) in Naperville is participating by hosting an event on May 6, geared for children up to 12 years old. Enjoy arts & crafts; screenings of Shalom Sesame and Rechov Sumsum; pita making and hummus tasting with Pushing the Envelope Farm; interactive music, and more! Congregation Beth Shalom is located at 772 West 5th Avenue, Naperville. For additional information and registration, visit http://www.juf.org/idays/ifamily.aspx (and scroll to CBS listing at bottom of page). Volunteers are also needed to help with this event. Please contact Jacob Margulies: jacob@continentalenvelope.com. ———-Summer Camp in Naperville!
Camp Gan Israel of Naperville 2012 Five-week camp from June 25-July 27. Give your child a rich and wholesome summer experience at the only Jewish day camp in the western suburbs. Monday-Friday. Gan Israel Program: Ages 5-12 from 9:15 -3:30 pm Mini Gan Israel: Ages 3 & 4 From 9:15-1:00 pm Location: Chabad Jewish Center-Naperville. For more information visit www.CGINaperville.com or call the camp office at 630-344-9770 ———-Spertus
5000+ years of Jewish learning Fresh, contemporary relevance for you and your career At Spertus, our accredited graduate programs encourage students to grapple with Jewish ideas in the service of personal, professional, and communal advancement. The Master of Arts in Jewish Professional Studies (MAJPS) program offers core courses in areas of classical and contemporary Jewish knowledge most relevant to Jewish communal life today, combined with essential professional training in nonprofit management.April 29: FVJSchool at The Farm!
May 6: FVJSchool
May 8: FVJN Book Group
May 11: FVJN Shabbat Evening at Peck Farm
May 20: FVJSchool — End of Year!
FVJN Adult Events
Calling all FVJN adults!
Currently we offer a book group and a film club, as well as gardening (a fun and helpful activity!), and other volunteer opportunities. Would you like more? Social events? Learning opportunities? We would love to offer more, and to do so, we need your ideas as well as your participation! Please send your ideas and suggestions to: rachely@fvjn.org.
We Need Teachers!
Teach at FVJN’s innovative religious school! Openings for 2012/13 school year: Hebrew teacher Preschool-2nd grade teacher Competitive pay, twice a month program, Geneva location. Contact Barbara Anderson: barb.anderson58@att.net. Thank you to Leslie Silver for her most excellent art instruction, this year. Due to work conflicts, Marci Lebowitz will take over teaching art at FVJS for the remainder of this year, and will be next year’s art teacher, as well!FVJN Book Group
May 8, 7 p.m., at FVJN
At our next get together, we will discuss Walking the Bible
by Bruce Feiler (not the children’s version). On July 10, our book will be Hornet Flight by Ken Follett.
Last month we finished Kosher Chinese in which Michael Levy told of his fascinating experience during two years in rural China as a teacher with the Peace Corps. Participation in the Book Club is free and open to all.
Find the Hidden Word and Win a Prize!
Find a hidden Hebrew word in this week’s eNews (you’ll know it when you see it — it’s in Hebrew), and be entered to win a prize from FVJN! Email your answer to: RachelY@fvjn.org.
Candy Goldstein, our last winner, received a gift card to The Breadsmith in St. Charles, where you can purchase challah every Friday. Mazel tov, Candy!
