Shavuos
What is Shavuos about?
The Torah makes no connection to Matan Torah. The connection only appears in our t’filla; ‘z’man matan Toraseinu’ and in the gemarrah.
Furthermore, the connection to matan Torah is complicated by the fact that Shavuos is not a calendar date; it can fall out either one the fifth, sixth or seventh of Sivan. It is set as the fiftieth day since the Omer. The consensus in the gemarah is that the Jews left Egypt on Thursday. (They tied a sheep to their beds on Shabbos HaGodol, four days before the slaughtering on Wednesday, right? And they left Egypt the next day, Thursday) And Shabbos was Matan Torah. So Matan Torah was 51 or 52 since leaving Egypt: Thursday seven weeks later, plus two days until Shabbos) Shavuos doesn’t approximate the days from leaving Egypt to Matan Torah. So what is it all about?
Perhaps the simple meaning of Shavuos is that we have finished counting the Omer. As we make a siyum when finishing something in learning, so do we celebrate at finishing any mitzvah. Shavuos is a festivity on the finishing the shavuos, the counting the weeks of the Omer. This seems the simplest interpretation.
Zman Matan Torasenu
So how is Shavuos ‘Zman Matan Toraseinu’? Two suggestions:
In Leket Yosher, the shamash of the Trumas HaDeshen quotes his rebbe that a gematria can be one off. Not because the word itself counts in as one more, but simply because a gematria does not need to be all that accurate, and one off is still approximately the same.
(He brings a fascinating proof; the pasuk says that Hashem was quick to bring upon us bad times because He is so righteous and kindly. What, wonders the gemarah, is so righteous and kindly about that?! The gemarah answers that Hashem exiled us two years before we reached the number of years equaling ‘v’noshantem’. Had that part of the pasuk been fulfilled then the second part, – that we would be utterly destroyed, – would also be fulfilled. Since Hashem was kind He was quick to bring us bad times. He took us quickly into exile, so that the bitter prophesy the pasuk foretold would not come to be. Comments the Trumas HaDeshen; if Hashem was really so kind, why didn’t He take us into galus only ONE year before the time of ‘v’noshantam’? The answer is that one year off is still the same gematria!)
So although the Jews received the Torah on the fifty-first day, the fiftieth too is ‘zman matan Toraseinu’.
Another approach: Matan Torah was neither a calendar date nor a number of days after leaving Egypt. Rather it was upon completion of a 7 week course. The Zohar says that the Jews waited seven weeks until receiving the Torah, the 7 weeks purifying them. We too complete this course, counting the Sefira. Although we do not start at the same day the Jews had, the course is the same, and Matan Torah is at ‘graduation’.
‘Zman Matan Toraseinu’ means we stand at the completion of the course.
Under Threat
The Torah says that the Jews gathered UNDER the mountain. Chazal explain that Hashem raised Har Sinai and held it over them “If you accept the Torah, fine. If not, you die here” The Jews had already proclaimed: ‘We will do and accept!’ Why did Hashem need to threaten them?
The Sma”k explains that Fear of Hashem and Love of Hashem compliment each other; Someone afraid never says “I’m just not in the mood today” He behaves even when he doesn’t feel like it. And someone with love doesn’t say “I hate doing this!”, because he finds meaning in what he is doing. Both are necessary; fear and love.
Perhaps its being a parent: you WANT to provide for the child. At the same time, you MUST care for the helpless kid. Obligation and love mixed together.
Klal Yisroel expressed their love for Hashem, offering to keep His Mitzvos. This is as it ought to be; we want to serve Hashem. But at the same time Mitzvos cannot be a hobby, something you do because you want to. You need to do them, even if you are not in the mood. Even if they are hard. The two co-exist; we want to do Mitzvos and we see in their fulfillment our deepest destiny, yet at the same time we acknowledge that we must do them. We are under threat as well. We are motivated to keep them by Naaseh V’nishma, and we are duty-bound to keep them because of the mountain hanging over our heads.
The rare beauty of a love-offering backed by obligation.
Meaning In Mitzvos
We celebrate Shavuos as “Zman Matan Torasenu”. The Torah never identifies Shavuos as the commemoration of the giving of the Torah. Why don’t they celebrate the YomTov just because the Torah tells use to??
People instinctively know there is indeed meaning in mitzvos, aside from the Ratzon HaShem. He commended us in meaningful acts, and His commandment makes those acts binding and relevant. However those acts are meaningful even on our level.
Some people understand that the meaning in Mitzvos is in the very fact that they are doing Hashem’s will: Sheamarti v’naaseh ri’tzoni! In fact, it’s true. Not only is that a good reason for performing Mitzvos, it needs to behind any performance of Mitzvos. Performing a Mitzvah only because it appears personally meaningful (i.e. ” I do those Mitzvos I appreciate and not those that I fail to understand”) is not serving Hashem. It is doing one’s own thing. Perhaps you can call it self-service; i.e. service of one’s self and intelligence.
However we can say “The police forbid me to run a red light and I obey their will”, or we can say “The police have set a system to enable safe driving on the road and I obey their will”. Same result, different experience.
We believe that enlightened doing of Hashem’s will is more meaningful than unenlightened doing. Moreover, it is Hashem’s will that we understand His mitzvos, as well as our poor minds can. For that reason we explore the meaning in mitzvos.
Mitzvos have two parts; 1. the action itself and 2. the meaning that action embodies. Mitzvos essentially are the embodiment of ideals.
Human nature, however, insists on ritualizing Mitzvos, stripping them of meaning. A perpetual tension exists between our minds and our natures: our minds pull to perform Mitzvos of content, our natures try to do those acts by rote.
The Malbim explains ‘Naaseh V’nishma’ that we commit to do the Mitzvos no matter if we understand them or not. Even if we cannot stand them, ‘Na’ase’! ‘Nishma’, however, refers to understanding the meaning of the Mitzvos, appreciating their significance and connotation. And Na’ase preceeds Nishma, because through action, performing the Mitzvos, we reach understanding them. (- A pretty heavy thought in its own right!)
The Tashbetz explains that indeed, did not intend to proclaim that we would hear what the Mitzvos are after we fulfill them, that would be impossible, rather we were saying that we would perform them and then appreciate and understand them.
So Yes, we do need to understand the Mitzvos. At the same time, our commitment to fulfill them is unconditional. We will do first, then understand. Naaseh V’nishmah!
Torah Appreciation
We are grateful for the Torah. I wouldn’t have a job without it. That may sound like a joke, but it’s the plain truth. Why not be grateful for the Torah in a personal, everyday way?
The Gemarrah tells that R’ Yosef would prepare a Shavuos feast ‘If not for this day, how many other Yossi’s are there in the street!’. He recognized that he would be just another Yossi, a nobody, were it not for the Torah. He appreciated that his status as a distinguished Rosh Yeshiva was because of this day.
Let’s try to find the simple things that the Torah enhances our life with, so that our appreciation of the Torah be not philosophic, but rather concrete and visceral.
Some ideas: We may have a dear friend developed by learning together. We may enjoy the coffee in the Beis Midrash. Perhaps the safe, friendly sincerity of the learners feels good. Maybe we enjoy Yomtov with the family, talking to the kiddies on Shabbos and soaking in a warm Mikve before davvenning. Cholent on Shabbos, Bar Mitzvah celebrations and Brissim are all great fun.
©2013
kollel parshah | Tiferet Ramot 83-21, Jerusalem, Israel, 97290
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