Our days are marked by rituals that help make meaning of our days. When we wake up, perhaps enjoy a morning cup of coffee and check the news, our professional or volunteer work, the calls we make to family or friends, and then our evening routine. For many, ritual is central to Jewish life. In this week’s Torah portion, Tzav (Hebrew for “And God commanded”), we continue to learn about ancient rituals, the sacrificial practices for a sin offering, homage offering and burnt offering. Sacrifices were how the Jews of antiquity connected with God, the community and themselves.

This Saturday night, Jews around the world will participate in a Passover Seder. Seder is Hebrew for “order” and the Seder is a set order of rituals to help us retell the story of Passover. With Passover starting tomorrow night, this Shabbat, the Shabbat before Pesach, is known as Shabbat HaGadol, the Great Shabbat. In some communities, during the afternoon of Shabbat HaGadol, it has become a ritual to read through part of the Haggadah (book that we read during the Passover Seder). As part of the second Seder, we will begin the ritual of sefirat ha’omer, Hebrew for “counting the omer,” the period of counting up each day, the seven weeks between the holidays of Passover and Shavuot.

At the core, Tzav is about the importance of ritual in Jewish life. In the times of wandering in the desert and while the Temple stood in Jerusalem, sacrifices were the way to “do Jewish.” Since the destruction of the Temple thousands of years ago, the rabbis of the time, created a structure of prayer and a new set of rituals to replace those sacrifices. As history continued to evolve, new rituals were added to mark these times. To this day, Jewish ritual continues to evolve, and Jews around the world are both practicing ancient rituals and creating new rituals to make meaning of our 5,000+ year old tradition. In Tucson and across Southern Arizona, we are a link in the chain, connected with people of antiquity and Jews around the world today and into the future.

Speaking of Jewish rituals, have you heard: a very exciting annual one —  JCC Maccabi Games® & Access  — is coming to Tucson July 27th and there’s a way for everyone in our community to get involved in making the games the best yet! Have you signed up to participate, host or volunteer? Over the weekend we had the pleasure of welcoming 41 Delegation Heads from all across the country to Tucson for a preview of what’s to come for the 2025 Games. It was a successful and enjoyable two days, providing an opportunity to showcase our exceptional venues, review our plans and progress in detail, discuss specific aspects of the upcoming week, and offer a glimpse of the warm Tucson hospitality they and their teens will experience upon their return this summer.

While the Delegation Heads were busy, our own local delegation, Team Tucson, along with others from the J community, had the opportunity to attend the Tucson Roadrunners Hockey Team nonprofit showcase game for team bonding and a whole lot of fun! 

On Sunday, over 100 curious and creative kids joined us at the J for another favorite annual tradition – STEAM Sunday, put on by our fantastic Early Childhood Education team! It was a beautiful day for exploring all things Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math and we are proud to be a place families come to learn, play, and grow!  

CHALLAH ORDERS Members can pre-order challah for $6 each week in advance of Shabbat. Orders must be made by 10pm on Monday. Orders may be picked up from 5am-6pm at the Front Desk and/or Sports + Wellness Desk on Thursday and Friday. If you have a child/dependent in one of the J’s childcare programs or Taglit, we can send your Challah order home with them.  Contact Member Services at membership@tucsonjcc.org or mark the boxes on our online order form to set up a standing order or to purchase a new 10 pass for weekly challah at a discounted rate of $55.