[img]96|left|||no_popup[/img] Dateline Jerusalem — Someone from the States said to me the other day, “No wonder you don't have a job in Israel. How can you work if everyday is a holiday there?” Perhaps not everyday, but lately it does seem that there is a holiday or celebration or observance about once a week. This week, we celebrated Shavuot, the day that the Ten Commandments were given to the Jewish people at Har Sinai (Mount Sinai). The Shavuot holiday actually celebrates the receipt of the Torah and its 613 mitzvot or commandments, not just the ten that most people are familiar with.

The word “shavuot” in Hebrew means “weeks.” Shavuot is known as the Festival of Weeks. There are seven weeks between Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot, seven weeks from the exodus of the Jewish people from enslavement in Egypt to receiving the gift of the Torah from Hashem (G-d). During the seven weeks from the exodus from Egypt to the acceptance of the Torah, not only were Moses and the Jews physically free from enslavement, they became spiritually free as well. During this time they prepared themselves spiritually for the receipt of the Torah. They concentrated on developing good character traits to be worthy of the Torah and of serving G-d. Although the Torah had been offered to other nations, only the Jewish nation was willing to accept and live their lives by its laws and commandments. Therefore, they served G-d by becoming the “light unto the nations” through Torah.

Why Receipt of the Torah Was Vital

Prior to receipt of the Torah, there were no laws for keeping kosher, rules about the proper or kosher way to slaughter an animal, etc. Until the Jewish people could learn these laws of the Torah and make their pots and dishes kosher, they refrained from eating meat. Therefore, one of the customs observed on Shavuot is to eat milk products. That means lots of delicious cheesecake, blintzes, pizza, eggplant mozzarella, and other dairy dishes are served at the festive meals commemorating the holiday. For whenever there is a Jewish holiday, it always seems as though symbolic foods become a major part of the observance.

I have always been fascinated by numerology or gematria, which is the numerical value of a word or phrase. In Judaism, numbers play an important role in rituals, and the relationship between man and G-d. Every letter of the Hebrew alphabet has a numerical value. Supposedly, words or phrases with the same numerical values also have a relationship to each other. It is interesting to note that the numerical value of the Hebrew word for milk, “chalav,” is 40 (and yes, I am finally beginning to learn the language). Moses spent 40 days and 40 nights on Mount Sinai before bringing the Torah down to the Jewish people on Shavuot. They ate milk products upon receiving it. Is there any doubt as to the relationship between the two?

Another observance of Shavuot is staying up all night studying Torah. There are all-night study groups throughout Israel, shiurim (lectures), and thousands of people walk to the Kotel (Western Wall or Wailing Wall) for prayer. A week before Shavuot in 1967, the Old City of Jerusalem was liberated and reunified with the rest of Jerusalem. So it was no longer a divided city (last week's celebration of Yom Yerushalayim-Jerusalem Day commemorates that occasion). On Shavuot 1967, for the first time in 19 years, the Kotel was open. Jews were once again permitted to worship at the Wall. Therefore, since 1967, Israelis have been observing the custom of celebrating Shavuot with prayers at the Kotel.

After having Shavuot dinner at the home of friends, I attended an all-night woman's study group where lectures were given by the rabbi of my shul (synagogue) and two other rabbis who are members of the shul. It was a good thing all three were dynamic speakers and encouraged the women to actively participate in the discussions of the material presented. Otherwise, I do not know how I would have managed staying awake all night. I then went to Shavuot services at shul the next morning where we read the story of Ruth, the most famous convert to Judaism, whose great-grandson was King David. It is interesting to note that King David was born and died on Shavuot. According to the Torah and other biblical writings, Moshiach ( the Messiah) will be the direct descendant of King David and his son Solomon who built the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The Kotel (Wall) is the only remnant of the Holy Temple still around today. At shul, we all stood as the Ten Commandments were read. After services, I went to the home of other friends for a festive Shavuot lunch.

In the seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot, I have observed the following holidays and commemorations: Passover, Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel Independence Day), Yom Hazikoren (Israel Memorial Day), Lag B'Omer (celebrated by bonfires and barbecues), Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day), and Shavuot. Seven events in seven weeks. I guess my friend was right. There does seem to be a holiday all the time.

L'hitraot.  Shachar