Dear Shavuot traveler,

As you prepare for your journey from across the four corners of the land, we share this vital information with you to ensure the most transcendent Shavuot experience.

Need to Know:

- Doors open at 5:30pm,

- Dinner served 5:30-6:45pm for those who registered (registration now closed)

- Arrive by 7pm sharp for the Opening Ritual

- Bring one piece of beautiful greenery with you (a flower, fruit, leaf, branch, etc)

- Dress in white

- Sign up for a volunteer shift

DETAILS:

1) ARRIVAL: Doors open at 5:30pm for dinner -- enter through the courtyard on Prince Street (not the double doors on the corner of Prince and Fulton). Make sure to check in when you arrive and get a wristband (required for all participants). Dinner will be served starting at 5:30pm until 6:45pm for those who purchased in advance (unfortunately dinner reservations are closed now). Please arrive by 7pm to experience the full immersive ritual with Rabbi Zvika Krieger and Tova Birnbaum. If you arrive after it has begun, we may need to ask you to wait until a less-disruptive moment to enter.

2) ATTIRE: The Kabbalists refer to Shavuot as “the Divine wedding,” so we invite you to join us in the mystical tradition of dressing in all white clothing.

3) ACCOUTREMENTS: (What to Bring): Please bring one piece of beautiful greenery with you -- a flower, fruit, leaf, branch -- to represent the bikkurim (first fruits) that our ancestors brought to the Temple on their Shavuot pilgrimage. You will personally be adding this greenery to an interactive artwork and ritual by LABA artist Molly Almeida: A Mythological Cosmological Altar. It will feature the earth's bounty engaging with imagined beings, and is designed to open up our imaginations and foster connection. This altar will remind us of the miraculous blossoms that grew on Mount Sinai at the site of revelation.

4) AGENDA:

Our opening ritual theater will begin promptly at 7pm, in which we gather all together to relive and reimagine the sacred Temple pilgrimage.
You can then choose your own adventure for four blocks of sessions to prepare you for revelation, with choices in each block for learning, music, art, embodiment, storytelling, sharing, and connection.
Provocative art (and artists) will be ready to engage you throughout the building.
At midnight, we'll regather as a group for an immersive ritual in which we renew our wedding vows to the Divine.
We then continue learning, dancing, laughing, meditating, and connecting until the break of dawn, when we conclude our journey with a sunrise Ten Commandments experience.
Throughout the night, we'll have delicacies and libations available in the courtyard, as well as opportunities for casual connection and sharing in our Tea Lounge behind the Sanctuary.
The Sacred Fire will be going all night with prayers, chanting, singing, storytelling, ritual, and more. Bring warm layers and blankets for outdoor coziness.
Feel free to come for any part of the night or stay up all night with us. You can bring blankets and pillows if you want to nap or get cozy during the night!
Full program and session details will be posted during the event.

5) AVODAH (Sacred Service): We still need a few volunteers to ensure the evening runs smoothly — please sign-up for a spot on this volunteer form, which includes descriptions of each of the responsibilities. Email sophie@chochmat.org with any questions.

We can't wait to be with you on this epic journey!

Warmly,

Chochmat Staff

Contact the host of PILGRIMAGE: An all-night Tikkun Leil Shavuot of immersive ritual, learning, and performance