Rivka Sari's Shabbat & Holiday Workshops
For the Jewish values and Ahavas Yisroel that was given to me

this Workshop is dedicated in the loving memory of my father,

Yaacov Moshe zt”l may he rest in peace.


Tammuz 6, 5766 /1940-2006

Love is in the Air

The month of Elul is a time of special closeness between Hahsem and His bride
Israel. This is alluded to by the fact that, in Hebrew, the first letters of the verse
"I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me" (ani ledodi v'dodi li) Alef, Lamed,
Vav, and Lamed spell the word Elul.

It is significant that the acronym for Elul comes from the verse that describes a
love that is initiated by the bride, rather than the verse in which the initial show
of love comes from the groom. For despite its designation as a time for special
closeness between G-d and man, Elul is a most "ordinary" month, conspicuously
devoid of festivals and holy days. In other words, Elul is not a time in which we
are "lifted up" from our daily routine to the more spiritual state of a festival day;
rather, it is a time in which we remain in our natural environment as material
beings inhabiting a material life.

For the month of Elul, whose astral sign is the sign of betulah ("virgin"), is the
month of the bride. Elul is a time when the initiative comes from our side of the
relationship, and the divine response to our love is one that relates to us as
finite, material beings and embraces our natural self and personality.

Workshop activities

For this Elul Workshop participants created a Ketubah to remind themselves to
renew their vows with Hashem. In this Ketubah they must vow to keep Torah, act
in loving kindness (chesed) towards one another, develop a strong relationship
with Hahsem through good deeds (mitzvot), tzedaka (chairity giving), study, and
tefilla (prayer).

The Shofar was blown and the pattern of the Shofar were heard to express the
importance of hearing the Shofar daily in the month of Elul. On Shabbat the
Shofar is not blown.

Each person received a special bookmark for a reminder to study Torah, daven
(pray), everyday to keep the mitzvot (commandments), to bring about good
deeds, and Chesed (Kindness).

There was Wine tasting and Raffle of a pair of Hand painted Shabbat
Candlesticks signed by Rivka Sari
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To arrange Shabbat or Holidays workshop event for
your synagogue, gallery, bookstore, gift shop, club or
organization, contact us today at phone
1.425.928.7326 or contact Rivka Sari by e-mail
rivkasari@comcast.net.