Shalom to my Bnai Shalom family!
On May 21st at sundown, the holiday of Shavuot begins. Shavuot literally means "weeks" and so this is known as the Festival of Weeks. It is also known as z'man matan Torateinu – "the time of the giving of our Torah".
Our tradition tells us that all of us – every Jewish person, past, present and future – stood at Mt. Sinai together with the strangers in the camp to receive the Torah. It was quite an experience! "There was thunder, and lightning, and a dense cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the horn… Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke, for GOD had come down upon it in fire; the smoke rose like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled violently." (Exodus 19: 16-18)
For many of us today, it is hard to imagine ourselves as standing at Sinai with the entire Israelite nation experiencing the awesome spectacle described, unless we have stood at the edge of Kilauea. But there are ways we can connect to it. We can come to hear the Ten Commandments read aloud in our Sanctuary, and stand to receive them. And we can contemplate their meaning for us personally. The medieval commentator Rashi writes, "Each day they [God's commandments] should be to you as something new (not antiquated and something of which you have become tired), as though you had received the commands that very day for the first time."
In our fast-paced world, it is easy to go through the motions and forget why we are really here. When we look at something with fresh eyes, we can find the wonder and meaning in it. This is a gift for anything in our lives, but especially something dear to our hearts.
Shavuot invites us to receive Torah anew, to allow it to enter our minds, our hearts, our being. Let's journey back to Sinai together.
Kol Tuv v' Chag Shavuot Sameach!
All the best… and a Happy Shavuot!
Rabbi Adrienne :)
Rabbi@bnaishalomeaston.org
Cell Phone: 609-577-6842
SERVING THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF EASTON SINCE 1839