June typically marks the end of the school year. Shavuot, the holiday now upon us, brings to a close the sacred period of counting which began at Pesach. Seven weeks after celebrating our freedom from Egyptian slavery, we find ourselves once again at Mount Sinai to receive God’s gift of Torah. Our journey ends. Or perhaps it just keeps going.

Just as we have a ritual of counting the fifty days from Pesach to Shavuot, I would like to suggest a new way to mark the next 300 days until Pesach arrives in the spring. Before I continue, I need to give a little background.

On the day prior to the first seder, the first born of each family is obligated to fast, as a way of expressing gratitude for having been spared during the tenth plague. After all, we are to see ourselves as having personally come forth from Egypt. Therefore, anyone today who is a firstborn child should be grateful that he/she didn’t die in Egypt.

We also know that the first born are allowed to be excused from fasting by attending a siyyum—a celebration of the completion of the study of a sacred text. Many of our first born attend minyan on the morning before the Seder, which is followed by the siyyum and a breakfast.

In most years, I have studied a tractate of Talmud and timed my completion of the tractate with the arrival of Pesach. This year I will be studying the tractate called Makkot, which deals with laws of false witnesses and matters pertaining to Jewish courts. I hope to share what I learn periodically on Shabbat and other occasions.

Now for the new idea. I invite you to help me make this year’s siyyum a unique experience, as well as enrich your life and spirit. Won’t you join me in dedicating yourself to studying one of the sacred books of our tradition, so that next Pesach we will be a congregation that is completing not just one, but many books. After all, on Shavuot, as we celebrate receiving God’s Torah, in both its written and oral formats, it is appropriate to show appreciation for our gifts by availing ourselves of their wisdom.

Therefore, I urge every one of you to choose a book of the bible or a tractate of the mishna, and make it one of your educational goals for the coming year to complete its study in time for Erev Pesach.

Take your TaNaKh (Hebrew acronym for Bible) off the shelf, and begin to read. Feel free to choose any of the books and make it your own. There’s always next year to choose another. Set aside time in your busy schedule to read a few minutes each day. Use Shabbat as a time to read a little extra, or perhaps as a “day off” from your ongoing study. Share what you are reading with your friends and family and your Shabbat table and other appropriate times. Quote a favorite verse in your letters and emails.

If you are purchasing a bible, I recommend you select one with the Jewish Publication Society translation. You can find the entire TaNaKh online at the website http://shamash.org/tanach/text.shtml

Alternatively, you might consider studying one of the 63 tractates of the Mishna. One volume English translations of the Mishna have been produced by Herbert Danby and Jacob Neusner. There is also available a six volume Hebrew-English edition of the Mishnah, by Philip Blackman, which contains an easy to follow commentary. By clicking on http://uscj.org/archives/mishnahyomit.html, you can read daily selections and commentaries of the Mishnah from the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. While you’re at the United Synagogue website, you can also find help with your bible study by clicking the “Jewish Living” tab, and then following your way to Prayer and Study—Perek Yomi—Questions to Guide You.