Shavuot
– The Weekday Holiday
Shavuot is the “Festival of
the Giving of the Torah” at Mount Sinai, which occurs seven weeks after Passover. Shavuot is a two-day holiday which falls on the 6th
and 7th of the Hebrew month of
Sivan, this year corresponding to June
9th – June 10th. The Torah
was given by G-d to the Jewish people on Mount
Sinai more than 3,300 years ago. Every year on the holiday of Shavuot we renew our acceptance of G-d’s gift,
and G-d “re-gives” the Torah.
It is customary
to eat dairy foods on Shavuot because Jewish tradition compares the words of Torah to the sweetness of milk and honey. Blintzes and cheesecake are among the popular foods to make and
enjoy for
the holiday.
The holiday of Shavuot
is literally translated as the “Festival of Weeks.” According to the Torah, it took precisely
49 days, or seven
weeks, for the ancient Israelites to travel from Egypt to the foot of Mount Sinai.
It seems like a misnomer since the festival itself is two days (or one,
if you’re living in Israel), and the “weeks”
refer to the time spent preparing for the Big Day.
The big moments in life don’t really last that
long. When you look back at the photo
album of your life, which moments will you most treasure or regret, and which
will you struggle to even remember? Certain
days just mean more - your wedding day, the birth of your first child or
grandchild – they all loom large in your life, while other days just seem to
sweep by. You’d never refer to your
wedding as a “Celebration of Your Two-Year Engagement,” or the Super Bowl as
the “Festival of the Football Season,” so why name this holiday after its
preparation period?
There is a famous quote by Robert H.
Schuller: “Spectacular
achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation.” However, the Torah teaches that the preparation itself is an important,
spectacular part of the journey. The days and weeks of our lives are far more
than mere stages in our long journey toward a goal. They are unique opportunities to achieve that
goal. The weeks and days of our life are
Festivals of G‑d. The value of each point in time is to count the days,
to fill up each moment of every day with meaning, to make each weekday a
holiday.
Often, we focus on the future and
ignore the here and now. But the lesson of Shavuot is that every moment
of every day counts.
The Torah is Life. The Torah is Knowledge. The Torah is Love. The
Torah is Joy.
Enjoy your cheesecake and blintzes!
Wishing you a Happy
Shavuot,
Rabbi Stuart Paris, HaKohen
We thank you in advance for your help and generosity.
