Congregation Beth Sholom, Lake County’s oldest synagogue, will celebrate the holiday of Shavuot on Friday, June 14 at 7 p.m.

On Shavuot, we celebrate the gift of Torah. The Torah, a history and a guide to our every step through life, was given to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai, more than 3300 years ago. Every year, on the holiday of Shavuot, not only do we renew our acceptance of the gift, we also re-receive the Torah.

“What better day than Shavuot, the giving of the Torah, and what better way to celebrate Shavuot, than to dedicate a new Ark of the Torah,” said Rabbi Karen Allen. “In Hebrew, the Ark is called Aron Kodesh or Holy Ark.”

The Holy Ark, situated in the front of the synagogue, is where the scrolls of the Torah are kept. Since it houses sacred items, the ark itself is considered holy, thus making the ark the holiest place in the synagogue.

The original ark, the Ark of the Covenant, held the stone tablets that Moses received on Mt. Sinai and traveled with the Israelites during their journey through the desert. Some 500 years later, the Ark of the Covenant was to find a home in the Holy Temple built by King Solomon in Jerusalem.

Join with Congregation Beth Sholom as we celebrate the gift of Torah at its Shabbat service on Friday, June 14 at 7 p.m. The synagogue is located at 315 North 13th Street in Leesburg, next to the Melon Patch Theater—the synagogue entrance is on Center Street.

More information is available on the synagogue website: http://www.bethsholomflorida.org or by calling the synagogue at 352-326-3692.