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Holidays

Holidays

At Mishkan Shalom, we follow the calendar of Jewish holidays with depth and joy throughout the year celebrating the full round of holy days and holidays. Watch for details as each of our holiday celebrations approach. Find details on past holidays, and general resources as you explore below. 

Shavuot

June 1-2 Celebrate Shavuot with P'nai Or, Germantown Jewish Centre and Mishkan Shalom

Our three communities once again join for an evening of prayer, mingling, and study in preparation for revelation.

There will be both in person and livestream opportunities throughout the evening.

Germantown Jewish Center Charry Sanctuary ;(Livestream) Candle Lighting 8:05pm;Times are subject to change.

7:00-7:45PM:;Mingling and Welcome

7:45-8:15 PM;Ma’ariv

8:15-9:15 PM: Opening Plenary with Speaker Rabbi Mira Beth Wasserman and intermingling Hevruta

9:00-midnight Study sessions (more details to come!)

7:00-9:00 PM; Nosh, coffee & drinks in the Charry Lobby

Schedule of Workshops June 1-June 2, 2025

Time
Location
Title- 5785/2025 workshops
Teacher(s)
9:30-10:30 PM
Chapel w/Livestream
Mahloket Matters: Constructive dialogue for the sake of heaven
R. Malkah Binah Klein


Can we find the courage to productively engage with those with whom we disagree?  In this interactive session using a curriculum from the Pardes Institute, we will study procedures from the ancient Sanhedrin (rabbinic court)  to explore the art of constructive disagreement, followed by a mock-Sanhedrin with a case study set in our era.  This session will continue in the 10:45 PM slot.
9:30-10:30 PM
Maslow
“See, I place you in the role of God to Pharaoh” (Ex 7:1)
R. Shawn Zevit


An exploration of leadership across the centuries in Jewish tradition, and what it means to be founded in sacred values and actions as we meet the challenges of our times. Study, Bibliodrama and discussion.
9:30-10:30 PM
Library without livestream
"Justice Never Emerges": Jewish Responses to Roman Rule 
L Charap


The rabbis chose to read the prophetic book of Habakkuk on Shavuot, a challenging text that asks stark questions about God's justice in a world marked by violence and persecution. This study session explores different midrashic and other contemporary Jewish sources responding to the experience of oppression under Roman rule.
9:30-10:30 PM
Silver Kiddush Lounge





10:45-11:45 PM
Chapel w/Livestream
Mahloket Matters: Constructive dialogue for the sake of heaven
R. Malkah Binah Klein


This is a continuation of the 9:30 PM Mahloket Matters workshop.
10:45-11:45 PM
Maslow
The Idra Rabba in the Zohar: Assembling in a time of potential disaster
Mitch Marcus


In this session, we will study the introduction in the Zohar to the Idra Rabba and grapple with what it means to us today. The Idra Rabba ("Great Assembly") is a section of Zohar about a gathering of mystics, convened by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, as the world entered a potentially disastrous time. 
10:45-11:45 PM
Library w/o livestream
Of Ovens, Smallpox, and Revelation
R. Josh Gutoff


Looking at one of the most famous of all rabbinic stories (The Oven of Achnai) and one of the least-read rabbinic commentaries (the Boaz on the Mishna), we'll see how, in a world without clarity the well-nurtured imagination can be a liberating force.
10:45-11:45 PM
Silver Kiddush Lounge
When the Law of the Land is not Our Law 
R. Alex Weissman


This session will explore if/how we reject the laws of the country we reside in by exploring Jewish legal discourse and narrative with the aim of helping us think about Jewish grounding for resistance.
12:00-12:30  AM
Chapel
Singing Torah at Midnight
R. Adam Zeff


Come sing!
12:45-1:45 AM
Chapel
TBD
Gwynn Kessler



2:00 -3:00  AM
Chapel
Movement at Sinai: Preparing our Bodies and Minds to Receive Torah
Maria Pulzetti


This movement and text study experience brings some of the motion and drama of the Sinai story into the experience of studying Torah on Tikkun Leyl Shavuot. As part of our spiritual preparation, we can bring our bodies into the text and explore the space between the letters.  
3:15-4:15 AM
Chapel
The Limits on Kings
R. Adam Zeff


We'll study how the ancient rabbis, in Babylonian Talmud Tractate Sanhedrin, grappled with the role of a king. How are kings different from regular folks? How are they subject (or not subject) to the courts and laws of their kingdom? What limits can and should be placed on their power?  We'll look at texts in both the Hebrew/Aramaic and in English translation and think about the parallels for our own time.
4:30-6:00 AM
Chapel
Shacharit service and sunrise reading of the Ten Commandments
Rabbi Zeff and Maria and others



Purim

March 13: Purim!

6pm- Family program in chapel

7pm- Purim prayer service (of sorts)

followed by Megillah reading by members

and topped off by the annual Mishkan

"Weekend Update" speilmeisters 

And Raffle opportunities along the way

 

   

Purim is celebrated with great joy at Mishkan! We celebrate with a creative service, progressive Megillat Esther reading (we use Hazzan Jack Kessler's z"l, English interpretation), egalitarian with re-worked last chapter that stresses peaceful partnership without mutual violence and an ancient and new ritual for our times to end the Esther story), and customized spiel each year.

You can access the Megillat Esther we use every year here, 
 https://pnaior-phila.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Megillah-of-Esther-v2.pdf

This year we also have our new raffle fundraiser as we reclaim the drawing of lots in our celebration.

Enter the Raffle Here

Additional Resources:

https://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/jewish-time-shabbat-and-holidays/purim/

https://ritualwell.org/topic/purim

https://www.tikkun.org/the-book-of-esther-a-fresh-look-at-trauma-and-accommodation/

 

Yamim Nora'im: Days of Awe 

(in person and Zoom accessible) 

"Returning to the Home of Our Soul": As we gather in person and online, we will enter the Jewish year 5785 together. Who will we become during these times, individually and communally? 

Each of us has had discoveries and losses, breakthroughs and disappointments, moments of isolation and meaningful connections. The Yamim Nora'im — the Days of Awe — ask us to face the truth of our circumstance, strengthen communal bonds to live in solidarity with all beings, and explore for the long haul, the connections and tools for resiliency.

Sukkot

  • Day 1, 10a.m., Shabbat morning, (outdoors at Mishkan Shalom in sukkah, weather permitting) — Torah study;  Sukkot service, including Hallel with Rabbi Shawn Zevit and rabbinic intern Noah Dor Lind.
  • 1 p.m. — Walk the Talk. Join Steve Jones for a guided hour and a half outdoor experience in which participants learn about “reading” the natural landscape as a text. Participants walk in the nearby Wissahickon forest, observe the elements of the natural world, learn about ecological relationships, and study short Jewish texts. 
  • 7-8:30 p.m. — Evening potluck and family program outside in the Mishkan Sukkah with Rabbi Shawn and rabbinic intern Noah. Celebrating the end of the fall holiday cycle and the completion of the yearlong cycle of reading the Torah. RSVP for in-person is required.

Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah

  • 9-10 a.m.- Torah study: R. Eugene Fleischman Sotirescu (In person/online)
  • 10 a.m.-noon- Shabbat Shemini Atzeret/SimchatTorah with Rabbi Shawn and Rabbinic Intern Noah. 

Chanukah/ Hanukah/ Hanukkah!

However you spell it, you can be sure we are eager to celebrate the Festival of Lights this year! Members are also invited to join us for our annual tradition of nightly candle lighting on Zoom! Please check Mah Hadash for more information and links. 

Tu B'Shevat

Each year Mishkan Shalom hosts a community Tu B'Shevat Seder for our members. In more recent years, this Seder has both in-person and online for all of our congregants to enjoy. There is sacredness in this connection. 

Purim  

Purim is celebrated with great joy each year at Mishkan!  We celebrate with a creative service, progressive Megillat Esther reading, and customized spiel each year Purim evening. The Sunday morning before or after we collaborate on a Purim Carnival which is held at Mishkan Shalom or Or Hadash. Check the calendar for details. It is one of the highlights of our year! 

Pesach        

Mishkan Shalom offers an overflowing plate of gatherings, services and resources to help you prepare for and celebrate the Passover holiday and explore ways of Counting the Omer. 

  • See our full schedule and access all resources.

Seven weeks of the Omer from Passover to Shavuot. Join us in weekly practices of spiritual "middot" (qualities) to cultivate a good heart in preparation to receive the Torah on Shavuot.

  1. Hesed (Lovingkindness)
  2. Gevurah (Discipline)
  3. Tiferet (Compassion)
  4. Netzakh (Endurance)
  5. Hod (Humility)
  6. Yesod (Connectivity/Generativity)
  7. Malkhut (Immanence/Self-Realization)


Shavuot

Celebrate our Feast of Weeks. Mishkan often celebrates Shavuot with other area congregations. Please check the calendar for details.

The Ten Commandments/Utterances or Aseret HaDibrot, the conclusion of the Omer, the first harvests and cycles of the earth, the nature of Revelation, having an all-night study session, reading from the Book of Ruth, eating dairy foods — many traditions are associated with this third of the traditional pilgrimage holidays.

We will again partner this year with the Germantown Jewish Center and P'nai Or for a combined program. For details, email rabbishawn@mishkan.org.

Schedule

  • 7-7:30 p.m. — Arrival and refreshments.
  • 7:30-8:15 p.m. — Welcome from P’nai Or, Mishkan Shalom and Germantown Jewish Center.
  • 8:15 p.m. — Ma’ariv: evening service.
  • 9:15 p.m.-4:30 a.m. — Multiple workshops throughout the night on a variety of themes and teachers from participating communities.
  • 4:45 a.m. — Concluding service at dawn.

Shavuot Resources

Sun, June 15 2025 19 Sivan 5785