BS"D

Shavuos Message (May 2006)

Shavuos, in certain ways, is the strangest of all our Holidays.  It takes the least amount of preparations.  It is the only holiday listed in all of Tanach which does not have a specific date listed.  For all other holidays, we are told that "on day [x] of month [y], you shall celebrate [z]".  For Shavuos, we are told that you will count seven weeks from Passover.

In fact, the corrupt deniers of our Oral Tradition in past schisms celebrated all other holidays on the same dates we use today, except for Shavuos, which they celebrated at a different time.  This was due to a misunderstanding which caused them to start the count of Sefira from the first Sunday after the beginning of Pesach (which resulted in the last day of the count always falling on the same day of the week!).

The Sefer Hachinuch in Mitzva 306 explains as part of the reasoning for the Mitzva of Sefiras Haomer "that the all important aspect of the people of Israel is the Torah..." and this was the main reason for the redemption and exodus from Egypt for the purpose of receiving and fulfilling the Torah.  As Hashem said to Moshe "And this will be the sign that I have sent you, when you will take out the nation from Egypt to serve G-d on this mountain".  This means to say that taking you out from Egypt is the sign that you are to serve G-d on this mountain.  This is the main good for the nation and is greater than the redemption from slavery, The secondary is always a sign for the main, The purpose of the counting is to show how much of a yearning we have toward this day.

Yet, despite the importance of Shavous, there are no intense preparations like those needed for Pesach; no gathering of items like we do for Sukkot; no special preparations for prayers, like is done for Rosh Hashana or Yom Kippur.  And why is this?  If we were to wave the Lulav and Esrog or eat in a Succah any time other than Sukkot; or eat Chametz-free items, Matzah and Morror, any time other than Pesach; or recite the Elul sleichot during other months, we accomplish nothing.  However, if we study Torah, the real service of Shavuos, any day of the year, any time of day, we are doing exactly what we are supposed to!  In other words, the lack of stress on a specific date for Shavuos is because the fulfillment is not limited to a specific date but applies always.  We reaccept upon ourselves the responsibilty to study the Torah which we received on this day, but the way we do the mitzvah is daily.

Let us hope and pray that we make the proper commitment this Shavuos and have a good year of learning to follow.

Rabbi Joseph D. Krupnik