Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, which falls this yr on
Monday, June 2, originated in biblical instances as an agricultural competition, the
fruits of the spring grain harvest, which started across the time of
Passover with the reaping of barley and concluded with the gathering of wheat.
It was additionally the graduation of the season throughout which farmers introduced the
first fruits of the harvest to the Temple, choices from the crops thought-about
native to the land – the aforementioned grains in addition to olives, figs, dates,
grapes and pomegranates. The vacation was considered one of three annual pilgrimage
festivals when individuals traveled to the Temple in Jerusalem to worship, to carry
choices and to rejoice. In contrast to the opposite festivals talked about within the Torah,
the timing of Shavuot was not expressly linked to a specific month and day
however was decided by the counting of seven weeks following the start of
Passover.
In post-biblical instances, the main focus of Shavuot modified
from gratitude for the items of the harvest to the celebration of the giving of
the Torah at Mount Sinai. The identification of Shavuot with the revelation of
the Torah was facilitated by the opening verse of Chapter 19 of Exodus
mentioning that the Israelites arrived at Sinai at the start of the third
month following their departure from Egypt. I can solely speculate on the explanations
for the shift within the vacation’s that means – maybe, the expansion of a sizeable
Jewish inhabitants dwelling within the Diaspora, a change within the occupational profile
of Jews (fewer farmers, extra craftsmen and tradespeople), or the centrality of
the idea of Torah within the theology of the rabbis. Kibbutzim in Israel
used to (and should) stage pageants at Shavuot time to emulate the biblical
competition of First Fruits and recapture its spirit. The e-book of Ruth, one of many
scriptural readings for the vacation, has an agricultural theme. Its central
determine, Ruth, is a widow and foreigner, who, throughout harvest time, gives for
herself and her mother-in-law Naomi, by gleaning within the fields of the rich
landowner Boaz, the kinsman of her late husband. Nonetheless, the primary scriptural
studying of the day is the Torah’s account of the Covenant and Revelation at
Sinai, and the vacation is now preeminently, because the liturgy refers to it, z’man
matan Torateinu, “the time of the giving of our Torah.”
The phrase Torah has a large and numerous vary of meanings, the
commonest of which is to indicate the 5 Books of Moses, the primary part of
the Hebrew scripture. Whereas torah in a slim sense can seek advice from a
particular set of legal guidelines – e.g., “that is the torah of the burnt providing,”
calling the Torah in its entirety “the Legislation” is a misnomer. The 5 Books of
Moses comprise chapters of narrative, poetry, and exhortation and represent
rather more than a press release and elaboration of legislation. A extra correct and
etymologically sound translation can be educating. Torah additionally has a wider
utility and might imply all the physique of Jewish religious and non secular
literature that has been written and handed down over the centuries and that’s
derived from and rooted within the scriptures. To satisfy the commandments of the
Torah via our actions is a spiritual obligation; for an observant Jew it’s
additionally compulsory to put aside time regularly to review the Torah as a
supply of steering and inspiration. Each morning, we pray, “instill in our
hearts the need to know and discern, to pay attention, be taught and educate, to
observe, carry out and fulfill all of the teachings of your Torah in love.” (The
Koren Siddur, translation by Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks)
Torah is regarded in Judaism as an expression of God’s love
and as a path to experiencing God’s presence in our lives. The giving of Torah
at Sinai is the becoming complement to the liberation of the Israelite slaves
which occurred however just a few brief weeks earlier than and which we rejoice throughout
Passover. Freedom can’t be allowed to degenerate into anarchy or license. Our
private freedom doesn’t entitle us to use or oppress, to trample on the
dignity and well-being of our fellows, or to be detached to their struggling.
We’d like the framework offered by Torah to control our freedom, or because the
wordplay of the rabbis expressed it, true cherut (freedom) is attained
solely by advantage of what’s charut (incised) on the tablets of the
commandments.
Rabbi Barry Marks is rabbi emeritus of Temple Israel in
Springfield.
