Holidays

At Mishkan Shalom, we follow the calendar of Jewish holidays with depth and joy throughout the year.

Yamim Nora'im: Days of Awe (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Shemini Atzeret)

"Returning to the Home of Our Soul": As we gather in person and online, we 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 circumstances, strengthen communal bonds to live in solidarity with all beings, and explore connections and tools for resiliency.

Hanukkah!

You can be sure we are eager to celebrate the Festival of Lights! Enjoy latkes, dreidel playing, and community at our annual Hanukkah Party for all ages, as well as our nightly candle lighting and Hanukkah songs on Zoom!

Tu B'Shevat

As the moon becomes full in the Hebrew month of Shevat, illuminating the winter landscape, we celebrate one of our four Jewish New Years: Tu B'Shevat, the New Year dedicated to honoring the trees and the abundant gifts they offer with such generosity. Jewish mystics created a Tu B’Shevat seder, a ritual with food, drink, song and meditation, to honor the lift force rising within trees and all life. For them, the Tu B’Shevat seder was a time to acknowledge the intricate mysterious patterns of creation and to travel in and between the four mystical worlds: assiyah, the physical world, yetzira, the world of feelings, emotions, bri’ah, the world of intuition, insight, and vision, and azilut, the world of pure Divine Presence. They traveled in these realms focusing on the fruits and gifts of the trees for the sake of healing and mending the world.

Purim

Purim is celebrated with great joy at Mishkan! We celebrate with a creative service, progressive Megillat Esther reading, and customized spiel each year Purim evening. Our school collaborates on an annual Purim Carnival with Or Hadash.

Pesach

Mishkan Shalom offers a ful plate of community gatherings, services, classes, and resources to help you prepare for and celebrate the Passover holiday and explore ways of Counting the Omer. Our Seventh Night Seder is always a moving experience as we reflect on the ways in which we currently engage and grapple with the Pesach narrative.During the seven weeks of the Omer, 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

Many traditions are associated with this third of the traditional pilgrimage holidays, such as having an all-night study session, reading from the Book of Ruth, and eating dairy foods. Mishkan often celebrates Shavuot with other area congregations.