A Shabbat Between Seasons

Shabbat Shalom!

There is a certain feeling in late spring that I have always loved.

The school year is winding down. Rehearsals, sports, homework, and Hebrew school are replaced on calendars with vacations, weddings, family gatherings, and long evenings outside. Camp trunks begin appearing in hallways and basements. The pools are not quite full yet, but you can almost hear the sounds of summer approaching.

And for just a brief moment, there is calm.

Some of life’s greatest moments are found in these simple seasonal transitions. For Andrew and me, it’s watching Nora drop her school backpack on the kitchen floor one final time and seeing her excitement for Jewish summer camp start to build.

Jewish life understands the importance of seasons and rhythms better than perhaps any tradition. Our calendar moves us intentionally through moments of reflection, celebration, mourning, renewal, work, and rest. We are taught not simply to race through time, but to notice it.

This Shabbat arrives in one of those in-between moments. A deep breath before summer begins in earnest.

And perhaps that is exactly what Shabbat is designed to give us.

In a world that constantly pushes us toward what is next, Shabbat gently reminds us to pause long enough to appreciate what is now. Before the camps, before the flights, before the packed schedules and full weekends, we are invited to sit around the table, light candles, bless our families, and reconnect with what matters most.

The Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai once wrote:

“From the place where we are right
flowers will never grow
in the spring.”

Amichai’s words remind us that growth rarely emerges from the places where we are most determined to rush forward without pause. Like flowers that cannot bloom in hardened ground, the moments that shape us most deeply often grow out of our willingness to simply be present with one another. Summer itself teaches us this lesson. The memories we treasure are rarely perfectly planned. They are the spontaneous conversations, the shared laughter, the late evenings outside when no one is in a hurry to leave.

There is also a beautiful teaching from Pirkei Avot: “Who is rich? One who rejoices in what they have.”

Summer often tempts us to chase experiences and movement, but Shabbat invites us to find richness in presence itself; in family dinners, conversations around the table, catching up with friends, or simply a quiet evening without rushing somewhere else.

At Federation, we also feel the energy of the season ahead. Summer camps will fill with Jewish joy and identity. Community gatherings will strengthen friendships and connections. Families will create memories that become part of their own stories and traditions. These moments may seem small in real time, but they are the building blocks of Jewish continuity.

One day, Nora will not remember every detail of a busy summer schedule. But I hope she remembers the feeling of being surrounded by family, community, laughter, and Jewish life.

Before the new season of summer fully arrives, may this Shabbat offer all of us a moment to slow down, reconnect, and appreciate the blessings already sitting at our tables.

Wishing you and your loved ones a peaceful and restorative Shabbat.