What is Shavuos about?
The Torah does not connect Shavuos to Matan Torah. The connection appears in our t’filla, which calls it, ‘z’man matan Toraseinu’, and in the gemarah.
The connection to matan Torah is complicated, because Shavuos is not a calendar date at all; it occurs either the fifth, sixth or seventh of Sivan, depending on how Beis Din set the months. Rather it is 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. So they left Egypt the next day, Thursday.) Shabbos was Matan Torah. So Matan Torah was 51 or 52 since leaving Egypt. (-Thursday seven weeks later, plus two days until Shabbos) So Shavuos doesn’t truly approximate the days from leaving Egypt to Matan Torah, nor is it the calendar date. So what is it all about?
The simple meaning of Shavuos is that we finish counting the Omer. As we make a siyum when finishing a part of Torah, so do we celebrate finishing any mitzvah. Shavuos is a festival of finishing the shavuos, counting the weeks of the Omer. This seems the simplest interpretation.
What of the reference to Matan Torah?
1. The Trumas HaDeshen’s shamash quotes him saying that a gematria may be one number off. Not because the word itself counts as one, (as is commonly assumed,) but simply because gematria does not need 100% accuracy, so one off is still approximately the same. So although the Jews received the Torah on the fifty-first day, the fiftieth too is ‘zman matan Toraseinu’.
(He brings fascinating proof; The pasuk says that Hashem was quick to bring upon us bad times because He is righteous and kindly. What is so righteous and kindly about that?! The gemarah explains that Hashem exiled us two years before we reached the number of years equaling ‘v’noshantem’. Had that part of the pasuk been numerically fulfilled, then so would be its sequel, – that we be destroyed. Since Hashem was kind, He was quick to bring us bad times, 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’? Obviously, one year off is still the same gematria…!)
1. 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.
Friends, have we done the coursework?
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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, die right here!”
The Jews had already proclaimed: ‘We will do and accept!’ Why threaten them now?!
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 like parenting: you WANT to provide for the child, yet you also MUST care for the helpless kid. Obligation and Love mix together.
Klal Yisroel expressed their love for Hashem, offering to keep His Mitzvos. This is wholly correct; we ought to want to serve Hashem out free will. But at the same time Mitzvos cannot be a hobby, something you do because you want to. You need to do them under obligation, even if you are not in the mood, even if they are hard.
The two co-exist; we want to do Mitzvos – we see in their fulfillment our deepest destiny, and we also MUST do them, – 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 beauty of love, steel-reinforced by obligation…
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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 people celebrate Shavuos simply because the Torah tells us to??
People instinctively know mitzvos are meaningful, aside from the Ratzon HaShem. He commanded us to meaningful acts, and His commandment making those acts binding and relevant. However those acts are meaningful in any case, even if they were not mandated.
Some think that the meaning in Mitzvos is in the very fact that they are doing Hashem’s will: ‘Sheamarti v’naaseh ri’tzoni’. In fact, that’s absolutely true. Not only is it a good reason for performing Mitzvos, it needs to behind ALL 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; rather, it’s doing one’s own thing. (Perhaps you can call it self-service; i.e. service of one’s self and intelligence.)
However, saying “The police forbade running a red light; I obey them”, is not the same as “Police have set a system enabling safe driving on the road, which I obey”. Although the result is identical, the experience and action is much different indeed.
We believe that enlightened doing of Hashem’s will is more meaningful than simple doing. Not only are our minds richer, but we actualize the Mitzvah’s meaning, rather than performing an act of simple obedience. Furthermore, we believe it is Hashem’s will that we understand His mitzvos, as well as our poor minds can grasp. We explore the meaning in mitzvos, for Mitzvos embody ideals to us.
Human nature insists on ritualizing Mitzvos, stripping them of meaning. Tension exists between our minds and our natures: our minds try to perform Mitzvos of content, our natures try to do acts of rote.
The Malbim (and Tashbetz) explain ‘Naaseh V’nishma’ that we commit to 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 comes second. We do, then understand. In other words, we are committed, no matter if we understand the Mitzvos or not.
Na’ase also preceeds Nishma because through action, performing the Mitzvos, we reach understanding them. Our minds are justifying machines, and figure out the sense in what we do!
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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, saying, “‘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. Can you think of anything?
Some ideas: We may have a dear and precious friendship developed by learning together with someone. We may savor the hot cup of coffee in the Beis Midrash. Perhaps the safe, friendly sincerity – the camaraderie – of the fellow learners feels good. Maybe we enjoy Yomtov with the family, talking to the kiddies on Shabbos and soaking in a warm Mikve before davening. Cholent on Shabbos, Bar Mitzvah celebrations and Brissim are all great fun.
Torah learning allows a man to rise above his circumstances and suffering. Many have turned to learning in times of grief and pain, and found solace in the pages of the gemarah. This is another thing to appreciate the Torah for.
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Second Thoughts On Meaning In Mitzvos
On the wine bottle it says ‘This wine has a fruity taste and a full body. Its finish is smooth’. Fruity? Did they add fruit to the wine? No, no. Its pure grape. Yet the experience includes a fruity taste. We appreciate the fruitiness in the wine, even when there is no other fruit there.
Torah is like wine; there are reasons for mitzvos, and there are flavors or Mitzvos. Its not the same. We appreciate the flavors the mitzvos have, and relate to the mitzvos through them. But they are not the REASON for Mitzvos. That is why the Rambam teaches that though a mitzvah may be a chok, a law not dictated by reason, we are encouraged to seek reasons for it, and the more reasons we find, the more praiseworthy it is. Its not fakery, – a con-job we do to ourselves, -thinking to understand the mitzvah while we do not really understand it at all. Rather we are encouraged to sample the mitzvah, to taste and appreciate it. Not to understand WHY Hashem gave it, but to reconcile it to appeal to our minds.
Taste is not accidental. Hashem designed strawberries thoughtfully, with a taste to appreciate and enjoy. It encourages us to eat strawberries, and brightens our day. We do not fool ourselves that the value of strawberries lies in its taste, rather we accept that we are presented with its taste so that we enjoy them.
Mitzvos are much the same: Hashem designed Mitzvos in a way that they appeal to our reason. This is no accident. We are supposed to appreciate Mitzvos. We are to seek understanding of them, and the more reasons one can think of , the more praiseworthy it is. This is what taamei hamitzvos is all about, in our opinion. (See Chinuch at the end of Vayikrah)
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Rabbi Asher Weiss shlit”a related that people ask him how to recall ones’ learning. The Chafetz Chaim was asked this, and replied with the cryptic reference to the pasuk in Tehillim, “Ki im b’Toras Hashem Cheftzo.” Rav Weiss interpreted this to mean that when one is interested in his learning – cheftzo – he will remember it. He quoted a pasuk in Tehillim – Bechukosecha eshtahea, lo eshkach devarecha! – if “I find enjoyment in your statutes, I will not forget your words”.
He related that the Klausenberg Rebbe asked him why the Torah says “Eretz zavas chalav udvash” – the chalav before dvash, while Shir Hashirim says “dvash vchalavv tachas leshonech” – first dvash?
Rav Weiss suggested that the Torah referred to the food in Eretz Yisroel. In sustenance value, milk comes before honey, a mere luxury. However the pasuk in Shir Hashirim refers to Torah, and “milk” is associated in the gemarah with toil and labor, while dvash represents sweetness and enjoyment. Which of the two are more effective in understanding and retaining Torah? The Dvash!
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Understanding With Your Hands
“Naase v’nishma,” proclaimed the Jews to Hashem. ‘Naaseh’ (‘We will do!’) was said before Nishma (‘We will hear!’). This is because action leads to understanding – Nishma.[ – Malbim] Isn’t that backwards? When we understand, we act. Do we think by doing?!
The mind is not a calculator, figuring out the sum from the data we feed it. Rather it’s a problem-solving machine. We feed it a goal, and the mind goes to work making that goal actual. The mind creates the answers, figuring them out. It does not impartially judge the truth.
This is why doing affects thinking. After doing Mitzvos, one identifies with them and understands them. Doing makes the mind go ahead and understand. So you want to understand?? Do, and you will Hear!
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Evidence Of Suffering
Naomi told the people, “Call me marah… For hashem has borne witness against me…” Rashi explains that the many misfortunes she had suffered proves that she was a wicked person. If Hashem gave suffering, it must be that she is bad. The question is that many righteous people suffer too. What proof of wickedness can suffering be?
One suggestion is that Naomi was not articulating an objective truth, rather she was responding to the words of the townspeople. They wondered at her – “Is this Naomi?!” In other words, they were astounded by her misfortunes, and perhaps questioning their justice. Naomi answered by retorting “Just the opposite! Instead of this being a question on Hashem, if anything this is an indictment of myself! It means that Hashem has found me guilty, as indeed I am.”
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The Name And Nature Of Shavuos
Shavuos has no mitzva for the common man. (It did, however, have special sacrifices in the Beis Hamikdash) What indeed is it’s nature? Chazal call it ‘atzeres’. (see Aruch Hashulchan) Perhaps this is because this what it indeed represents: a face to face encounter with Hashem, for no other purpose than being together and appreciating one another. As in marriage, sometimes couples need to spend time just to be together, not to do something together…
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Sorting Out The Jews And The Jont’s
Was Ruth a convert when she married machlon? The Ibn Ezra indicates that she was – otherwise, what sort of Yibum could there be by Boaz marrying her, or why would she inherit Machlon. On the other hand, Rashi points out that Naomi spoke of Ruth marrying another son of hers as a possibility, which it couldn’t be had she been Jewish and married according to Jewish law. In addition, if she had converted, would Naomi try to cajole a convert to return to idolatry?
The Rambam in hilchos Melachim writes of Machlon and Kilyon as great and holy men, which is hard to reconcile with their marrying a non-Jew. So he concludes that they converted Ruth and Orpah before marrying them. However, the Rambam explains, a conversion done without Beis Din, and done for marriage, is called Gerus, and the convert is no longer a non-Jew, but is not a ger Tzedek yet, until they prove their righteousness. They are halfway between Jews and non-Jews. Or something of that nature.
This may clear up some of the conundrum surrounding Rus and Orphah. Or maybe just make it even more complicated. Not sure which…
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Celebrate It With Cheese!
Why eat cheese on shavuos? I propose that this insures that people remember this vital chag, celebrate it, and connect with it. One non-observant Jew told me that he loves Shavuos, its all lasagnas, pizzas and cheesecakes – what’s not to love? By instituting this minhag, we assure that the chag will always prosper.
In addition, each chag has its mitzvos that one can grip into. Shavuos has none. Eating dairy gives Shavuos it’s ‘mitzvah’, its traction.