Join area rabbis and other teachers from across Madison’s Jewish community for a traditional Tikkun Leil Shavuot – an evening of learning, beginning at 7:30 pm and continuing well past midnight.

This year’s theme is: Building – Dwelling – Shelter – Home, L’ivnot U’Lehibanot: To Build and Be Built, A Shavuot Exploration. What makes a house a home? What structures help us live a meaningful life? How do actual spaces shape sacred experiences? What values form the foundations of Jewish living? Join us as we explore Biblical, Rabbinic and modern texts to better understand how both actual and metaphorical spaces help us to experience the sacred and live with intention.

Sessions Include:

Dr. Sam Gellman
Building as an Opportunity for Choice: a Molecular Perspective

Rachaeli Komar Aziz
Star-Spangled Banner vs. Hatikvah: Songs of our Homelands Face Off!

Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman
Home vs. Homeland: The Complicated Narratives of American Jews

Rabbi Joshua Ben-Gideon
A Palace in Time - Heschel’s Sabbath

Dr. Jonathan Pollack
Building the House of Shammai in the Rabbinic Era and Today

Dr. Jordan Rosenblum
My Wife is My Home: Building a Home and Constructing a Body

As well as teachings by Jordan Ellenberg and R. Rebecca Ben-Gideon and poetry Interludes with Kathy Miner

Feel free to come for all or part of this lively celebration of Judaism’s love of study and learning. To keep learners sharp throughout the evening, dairy desserts will be served, including cheesecake, ice cream, and the traditional first fruits of the season.

This program is presented by Beth Israel Center in partnership with Congregation Shaarei Shamayim with support from Jewish Federation of Madison.