Shavuot and cheesecake

Friends,

Tonight we will join together, online of course, to celebrate Shavuot. Shavuot is one of our three pilgrimages festivals during which we celebrate receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai. We will join together in prayer, study, and eating cheesecake!

Many of you might know that I love cheese in all of its forms - hard, soft, sliced, grated, and especially in cake form. Cheesecake's creamy decadence quickly reminds us of Israel, which our Torah describes as a "land of milk and honey." This is one of several reasons why we traditionally eat a dairy meal on Shavuot which often includes blintzes, cheese, and cheesecake.

Whether your comfort food is cheesecake, chicken soup, or something else, each taste and smell elicits memories of times past that can help us cope with life's challenges. They can even bring us back to Sinai to share in the Israelite's courage as they prepared to receive the Torah. I pray that we all find comfort and courage on this Shavuot as we accept the Jewish values and customs that connect us as a sacred community.

With blessings of hope, strength, health, and a healthy portion of cheesecake,

Rabbi Brian Immerman