Shavuos 5763
(FRIDAY & SHABBOS)
June 5th-7th, 2003
6-7 Sivan, 5763

There is a great opportunity awaiting us on the upcoming Jewish holiday.

In the prayer book, we refer to Shavuos as the "time of the giving of our Torah," for it commemorates the public Revelation of the 10 Commandments at Mt. Sinai, on the sixth of Sivan in the year, 2448 (1313 B.C.E.). This event, at which every man, woman and child present heard the "Divine voice" (along with the souls of ALL the Jewish people to be born in the future, who were there as well--say the mystical sources), was immediately preceded by our joyous acceptance of G-d’s Covenant:

" ‘And now if you hearken well to me and observe My covenant, you shall be to me…a kingdom of ministers and a holy nation’ [said Hashem]…The entire people responded together and said, ‘Everything that Hashem has spoken we shall do!’" [Exodus: 19, 5-8]

The public revelation was then followed by the ascent of Moshe to learn the totality of the Torah (the laws and observances that would be written, along with their more extensive oral explanations) in 40 days and nights.

So this is a pretty major commemoration, despite its somewhat low profile as compared to Pesach (with all its crunchy matzah, and cute recitations of the Four Questions) or Sukkos (with its family-friendly booth, and collection of attractive species to wave up and down). After all, this is the holiday of the Torah itself--which is the source of all the other holidays, and all the other mitzvos. This is the anniversary of the eternal "marriage" between G-d and the Jewish people: our Sages have likened the mountain’s arch to a chupah, and explained how Moshe symbolically escorted the bride (k’lal Yisrael) to the waiting groom (Hashem). ("Moshe brought the people forth from the camp toward G-d, and they stood at the bottom of the mountain." 19, 17) This is the very culmination of the Exodus from Egypt--whose whole purpose, Moshe was told at the burning bush, was to bring the Jewish people "to serve G-d on this mountain."

This is the anniversary of the event that marks the very culmination of ALL CREATION! For our Sages tell us in many places (and mystical works like the holy Zohar emphasize the fact) that the purpose of creation was fulfilled--and is fulfilled--through our acceptance (and observance) of this Torah, G-d’s blueprint for creation.

Now that you’ve been thoroughly convinced that we’re talking BIG TIME when we talk Shavuos, what exactly is the "great opportunity" I mentioned at the outset? Do I mean the great opportunity to stay up all night studying Torah, as Jews will be doing at synagogues and study halls throughout the world, in keeping with an ancient custom? (On that note: All are invited to the chapel of the B.B. Jacob Synagogue, 5444 Abercorn St. in Savannah, where, with the help of much caffeine--provided free of charge--we will be offering Torah lectures and study groups all the way till dawn.) Even though staying up late to study (a little later than normal, in any case) IS a wonderful and exhilarating practice, that’s not what I mean.

Whether or not one tries to pull an all-nighter, and whether or not one has been scrupulous in the observance of every single commandment in the past year (and who among us has?), the great opportunity of Shavuos is as follows. TO ACCEPT WITH JOY THIS "TREE OF LIFE" (the Torah) THAT IS OUR HERITAGE, TO THANK G-D SINCERELY FOR THIS GREAT AND AWESOME GIFT, AND TO ACCEPT UPON ONESELF THE CHALLENGE OF DOING BETTER (AND GOING DEEPER) WITH OUR STUDY AND OBSERVANCE OF THE TORAH IN THIS COMING YEAR.

For we must never forget that Jewish festivals do not merely commemorate events from the (ancient) past. They hold out to us the chance to re-experience the very same "divine illuminations," to access the same "spiritual energy," if you will, that the Holy One communicated to the Jewish people on that original occurrence. That is to say, G-d will be giving the Torah (and, we hope, the Jewish people will be joyfully accepting it) once again tonight, in the present. Our souls can experience again the thrill of standing at Sinai and hearing G-d speak directly to each and every one of us, whether we find ourselves in Savannah or in Tel Aviv. (This is why the Ten Commandments are worded in the singular, as opposed to the plural: the Torah was, and is, being given to each of us individually.)

In truth, our Rabbis tell us, the Torah is given (and accepted anew) each and every day--just as the work of Creation is renewed by G-d each and every day. As the blessing over the Torah states, "Blessed are You, Hashem, our G-d…Who gives the Torah," in the present tense. And we should certainly strive to develop this consciousness in ourselves of accepting the Torah and its commandments anew each and every day. ("And these words which I command you today shall be on your heart," the verse in the Shema states. Today!) But at least on Shavuos, the anniversary of the Revelation at Sinai, we should do our very, very best to re-experience G-d’s giving of the Torah, to prepare ourselves to accept it anew.

How do we prepare ourselves? Well, the period from Pesach up until to Shavuos (with the mitzvah of the counting of the Omer) was designed to be a period of spiritual preparation--especially with regard to our interpersonal relationships. (G-d gave the Torah to a people unified in purpose, and joined in brotherly love…and we must try to emulate that at this time of the year.) That period is over, unfortunately, and we are mere hours away from the onset of Shavuos. Is there nothing we can do to get ready for the "great opportunity" mentioned above, nothing we can do to maximize our potential for really growing as Jews in the next 48 hours?!

One of my great teachers always told us that each person should prepare for Shavuos by taking a few minutes to sit down, and to really think about how the Torah benefits him or her. "How does the Torah make my life better and more meaningful? How would my life (or the world at large) be less meaningful if we didn’t have this gift of the Torah?" I believe that all of us can find things we relate to deeply in the Torah, aspects that have given us great joy and a feeling of connection to G-d Himself. (And our Sages tell us that the Torah is the highest expression of G-d’s holiness that we human beings can connect with in this world.)

Whether it’s the beauty of the Shabbos or the other festivals, the inspiration (and historical immensity) of the teaching to "love your neighbor as yourself," or to see in each and every human being the tzelem elokim (image of G-d), or the grandeur of the 10 Commandments themselves. [Imagine what a completely transformed world it would be if we all sincerely accepted to observe just those 10!] Each and every one of us, at whatever level of observance, can find some way in which Torah has made a difference in our lives--has given us life and joy and inspiration. It is this that we should think about on Shavuous, and it is for this that we should thank G-d with all our hearts.

If that’s enough to keep us up all night learning tonight, great. But even if we don’t make it all the way (and caffeine can only accomplish so much), well, then, as we drift off to sleep--and during all the rest of the yom tov--we should meditate on the joy, the simcha, of having this Book of Life and eternal wisdom as our heritage.

I don’t know about rock and roll, but I can confidently proclaim: SINAI WILL NEVER DIE! May this Shavous be an inspiring and meaningful holiday for all of us, a true re-acceptance NOW of our mission to accept and carry out G-d’s Torah! A new beginning, and a happy anniversary!

CHAG SAMEACH!!!

My e-mail address is yosefe@comcast.net

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Rabbi Yosef Edelstein, Savannah Kollel. Phone: 912-351-0469; fax: 354-9923