You are always Sivan my mind

When’s the last time you lived in awe and wonderment?

A cute little story for your Friday morning:

A couple of weeks ago, I was walking through one of my happy places, Madison Square Park, when an elderly woman approached me. She said, “Excuse me! I don’t mean to bother you, but look at this tree. This tree is SO beautiful and I wanted to share this moment with somebody.”

While it wasn’t the most beautiful tree I had ever seen in my life, it represented life and spring, and I was grateful for the tree for bringing me to this moment with a stranger. She was in awe of such natural wonder. She must have known it was Sivan!

Sivan (pronounced see-vahn): It’s a girl’s name. It comes from a Babylonian name which means joy. It’s mentioned in the Scroll of Esther once. It’s the month of awe, and it’s upon us! It’s been Sivan for the last couple of weeks; I’m just late to the party. Here are some fast facts to celebrate:

• Its mazal or constellation is Gemini (twins), which could symbolize the pair of stone tablets Moses received from G-d at Mt. Sinai, which we celebrated on Shavuot, or it could also symbolize the harmony of strangers coming together. Interesting Hebrew note here: it is said in Exodus 19:6 that the Israelites camped at the foot of Sinai, but the verb used for “camped” is written in the singular. Could it be that the Torah was trying to show us the beauty that comes from distinct human beings gathering for a single, significant purpose like receiving the Torah? That’s pure Torah magic, baby. ✨

  

• This month, the holiday of Shavuot really takes the (cheese)cake. It’s only celebrating the greatest moment in Jewish history, receiving the Torah, the foundation of our ethnicity, culture, and peoplehood. And just like the ancient Israelites who receied it first-hand, we are in awe. Sivan is a time to acknowledge wonder in our lives, just like my friend from the park. What’s something wondrous you’ve been acknowledging and appreciating? Share in the comments!

• Sivan is when we read the Book of Ruth, a moving story of the great love, loyalty, and devotion between Naomi and her daughter-in-law, Ruth. Ruth is known as one of the first Jews-by-choice. Know a convert in your life? Give them a goodie. Let them know how happy and proud you are of them since converting isn’t easy.

Speaking of the Jewish calendar, I’m currently in Tallinn, Estonia on a Jewish trip with JDC Entwine, meeting the community (of roughly 2,000 Jews) and learning about JDC’s support in local Jewish education. Here is a picture of a Hebrew calendar from the Estonian Jewish Museum that a man named Simson Baron made for his father in 1943/5704.

Shabbat Shalom! Terviseks! (Cheers in Estonian)