Holiness in Summer

by Rabbi Stephanie Kennedy

June 1, 2026 • 16 Sivan 5786

Outdoor pool at The Pines in So. Fallsburg, NY, 1979

Just weeks ago, many of us were preparing for Passover, setting seder tables, retelling the story of leaving Egypt, and gathering with family and friends around traditions passed down through generations. Then came the seven-week journey of counting the Omer, slowly moving from freedom toward Shavuot, the moment of standing together at Sinai to receive Torah.

And now, almost suddenly, we find ourselves arriving at summer.

The school year is ending. Parents, children, teachers, and caregivers are arriving at the end of a long season of labor and responsibility. Lunches packed, carpools coordinated, homework supported, difficult mornings navigated, celebrations created, and countless ordinary acts of care repeated day after day.

And then summer arrives with its own kind of relief.

The High Holidays and fall are not quite on the horizon yet. Instead, there is a long stretch of open time before us. The pace shifts. The evenings stretch later. Meals move outdoors. Gardens grow fuller.

We sometimes imagine spirituality as something serious, intellectual, or hidden away from ordinary life. But summer directs our attention back toward the beauty of the world itself: sunsets, fruit trees, birdsong, candlelight, singing around a table, the changing of seasons, and the experience of simply being present enough to notice them.

Perhaps that is part of why Shabbat arrives every single week. Shabbat is sometimes described as “a taste of the world-to-come,” a glimpse of the world as it could be: peaceful, connected, and alive with presence. In the Torah, Shabbat appears immediately after creation itself, before there were Jewish holidays or even the Jewish people.

Shabbat teaches that holiness is not found only in productivity, achievement, or striving. Holiness can emerge through presence: noticing the people around our table, lingering in conversation, walking outside without rushing, singing together, resting, paying attention to beauty.

Summer can help us notice what Shabbat tries to teach all year long. Not every meaningful moment has to be productive. Not every sacred experience has to be dramatic. Holiness can arrive quietly.

Wishing you a summer filled with beauty, rest, connection, and moments of holiness along the way.