Sivan Week 1 — Shavuot

Let us give thanks for the Omer journey of 5779, for all that was experienced and discovered. As Shabbat ends, we will enter the 50th day, Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks, the Festival of First Fruits.

As we enter this new time, let us say Here I am, I have come. Here I am, now.  (Deut 26:10)

I have come with the first fruits of my soul, with all that I have become through this Omer journey.

Here I am, open and willing to receive the Torah that has been inscribed on my soul.

Here I am, open and willing to receive the gifts that are mine to give.

I have come to reaffirm my covenant with all life, to walk on this earth with reverence and care, to give myself to what is true and to offer my gifts and blessings for the benefit of all.

Here I am, I have come. Here I am now.

Blessed are You, Source of All, who has given us life, raised us up and brought us to this moment.

May Shavuot reveal to us the presence of the One within all. And may this inspire our love and our commitment to act with grace, honesty and compassion for the well being of all creation.

Our sacred mythology relates that on Shavuot our ancestors stood at the mountain and experienced the Infinite Oneness. Out of the silence of this sacred encounter, they heard Ten Utterances to live by, Ten Utterances to help them remember that all life is woven together in an intricate web of harmony and love.

—Rabbi Yael Levy

3 Sivan 5779