Dear Friends,
Shavuot began as an agricultural festival celebrating the first fruits and the barley harvest. But the rabbis transformed it into something far more enduring: a celebration of Matan Torah, the giving of Torah at Sinai.
In doing so, they connected Shavuot to perhaps the defining moment in Jewish history: the moment we entered into covenant with one another and with God. In many ways, it was the moment we became a people.
The rabbis of old wrote countless midrashim—rabbinic stories—about that moment at Sinai, each offering a different understanding of Jewish identity and commitment.
One famous midrash teaches that before giving the Torah to Israel, God offered it to every nation. Each asked, “What does it say?” and each rejected it because some part of Torah conflicted with their way of life. Only Israel answered, “Na’aseh v’nishma”—“We will do and we will understand.”
According to this story, accepting Torah was a choice.
But another midrash offers a strikingly different image.
Commenting on the Biblical verse, “They stood beneath the mountain,” the rabbis imagine God holding Mount Sinai over the people “like an inverted barrel,” declaring: “Accept the Torah, or here shall be your grave.”
Here, covenant is not chosen. It is unavoidable—become part of the covenant or . . . .
I cannot help but wonder if these two stories reflect two eras of Jewish history.
For much of our past, being Jewish was not primarily a choice. Jewish identity was imposed from without, and communal belonging was essential for survival. In many ways, Sinai truly hovered above us.
Then came emancipation and modernity. For the first time, Jews could participate fully in broader society without surrendering Jewish identity. But freedom brought a new challenge: Jewish continuity would now depend less on external pressure and more on our internal commitment.
For perhaps the first time in history, we could truly choose, and the question of Sinai became deeply personal: “Will YOU accept this Torah?”
Every year on Shavuot, we stand again at Sinai and answer this festival’s questions anew: Will we choose a life rooted in sacred obligation, community, justice, memory, and hope? Will we affirm that this story is OUR story?
And perhaps that question is not only theological, but communal as well. Every act of participation, generosity, and commitment to Jewish life becomes a modern expression of Na’aseh v’nishma.
It is a declaration that this community matters and that the future is worth building.
As many of you know, our congregation is in the midst of a fundraising campaign that has one central goal: securing the future of this sacred community for generations to come.
I want to express my profound gratitude to everyone who has already stepped forward to be part of it. I have been deeply humbled by the extraordinary outpouring of generosity—support that has come in forms both large and small, each meaningful in its own way. Each is a celebration of all this congregation has stood for and the certitude that TSTI’s next chapter will shine brightly at a time when we need light more than ever.
Every act of support for this campaign is a statement that the covenant we affirm at this Festival of Shavuot is alive and well. Every donation is a statement of belief that TSTI will continue to be a strong, welcoming, embracing community that celebrates the joy, the meaning, and the power of Jewish tradition. Each gift is a statement that this community matters and that we are, each and every one of us, responsible to ensure that it remains strong and relevant tomorrow and in the years to come.
Thank you all for your support and for your incredible partnership as we prepare for TSTI’s exciting new chapter.
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach,Rabbi Daniel Cohen