Lead Tidbit
The Plan - Now We Do It

Variation of a theme - with Shavuot just past... There's a little "magic trick" with a solid ring around the middle of a device that bulges at both ends. The idea is to remove the metal ring (without breaking anything). It looks impossible, but with the right twist of the device, the ring pops right off. After trying in vain to get the ring off, you hand it back to the person who challenged you in the first place, and he succeeds. You try again, and fail. He does it again, and again. He lets you watch as he slowly twists the device and slides the ring off. Now you try again and again, and finally you too succeed. Kol HaKovod.

Not the best of analogies, but here's what it is supposed to mean. G-d had a plan. The Plan. He told Moshe Rabeinu His plan, right up front - at the burning bush on Mt. Chorev (a.k.a. Sinai). I take Bnei Yisrael out of Egypt, said G-d, in order to bring them to a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey... And in order to give them the Torah. (Proof that I am sending you, is that you will return with the people to this very spot - to receive the Torah).
There are many other references in the Torah to this Divine Plan. Exodus from Egypt, Matan Torah, entrance into Eretz Yisrael. Details aside, this is the Plan.

And every year, G-d demostrates the Plan, so to speak. We have Pesach commemorating the Exodus. And we start counting the Omer from the second day of Pesach until we reach Shavuot, Zman Matan Torateinu - the time of the Giving of our Torah, and Chag HaKatzir - the cutting of the wheat festival, Yom HaBikurim, the beginning of the Bikurim season, and the bringing of the MINCHA CHADASHA to G-d, the Two Loaves and accompanying korbanot. All of the above (after the giving of the Torah part) relates to being in Eretz Yisrael, with a Beit HaMikdash. Whereas Pesach symbolizes the beginning of the Plan - taking us out of Egypt, Shavuot represents the two reasons we were taken out of Egypt, the two reasons for the existence of the Jewish People - Torah and Eretz Yisrael.

We are out of Egypt. The most we can do on that point is to remember the Exodus every single day (and night) of our lives, and to celebrate Pesach. At the Seder we are commanded to see ourselves AS IF (k'ilu) we ourselves came out of Egypt. As if.

But when it comes to Shavuot, AS IF is not enough. G-d shows us what He wants us to do (think of the analogy we started with), and then He tells us to do it. We have to imagine ourselves being part of the Exodus. But it is NOT enough to imagine receiving the Torah and entering Eretz Yisrael. We have to receive the Torah - not k'ilu, not AS IF, but actually receive the Torah every days of our lives. And we also have to realize that saying L'SHANA HABA'A BIRUSHALAYIM is not enough. We have to live in Eretz Yisrael, help build it into the Torah state in which the Torah and all Jews can flourish and fulfill G-d's Plan for us. Not enough to see the ring being removed from the device, we have to do it ourselves.