Shavuos Then and Now
Every year, as Shavuos /Shavuot draws near, I am reminded of the following story: My brother and I were very young. We begged our father to take us with him to shul (synagogue) on Shavuos night. He told us we couldn't join him because he would be studying Torah all night long. When we asked him why, he told us that the Gates of Heaven are open on Shavuos night.
After our father left, my brother and I decided to stay up all night so we could see the sky open. We thought we'd see Hashem (the Creator). We sat on the couch, leaning our elbows on the window sill, gazing up at the sky for what seemed like forever. After a while we felt overcome with drowsiness. At that point we made a pact: if one of us were to fall asleep, the other would wake him/her. As it turns out, we both fell asleep and were awakened by our father when he returned in the morning. Needless to say, it was a big let down for us. We had missed the chance of a lifetime.
As an adult, when I look back, I smile at the innocence and simple faith of these two children waiting for the sky to open.
On the first Shavuos, 3,300 years ago, when we were offered the Torah, the entire Jewish people declared “We will do and we will hear.” (Exodus 24:7) And Hashem ‘said’ to us, ‘I love you so much that I will give you My greatest gift – the holy Torah’. (This is not a quote but rather my understanding.) Hashem’s Love for us is so great that He was willing to take us even with our faults.
Once a year, Shavuos comes along to remind us – ‘Hey little ones, I still love you. I still want you. I am still willing to come down to the mountain to prove it to you. This, my children is our covenant forever and ever. I will never abandon you.’
Hashem loves us unconditionally. All we really need to do is accept ourselves as we are... just as He does.
King David was a master at this. He mastered the simple, pure faith that Hashem is with us in every place and in every circumstance. He is with us whether we feel it or not.
Knowing this...believing this, we will never be alone. We can bring our Creator to whatever place we find ourselves, whether we are feeling distant or close, happy or sad, frustrated or satisfied. In that way, our place becomes His Place. In that Place we step into His Love. We can choose to be participants in His never-ending covenant with each and every one of us as individuals and to the people as a whole.
How interesting that Kind David was born on Shavuos and left this world 70 years later on the very same day. It is through King David and his holy Tehillim (Psalms), that I have learned that Hashem loves me whether I feel it or not; that there is nothing in my life/in this world that is not Him - including me and you.
(Photo courtesy of Gutman Locks http://thereisone.com/)
To me, Shavuos is Love - Hashem's love for me, my love for Him and for the holy gift of His Torah, an opportunity to focus on and feel self-love, and love for others. It reminds me that everything is ONE. Sounds simple? Innocent? Maybe like two kids believing the sky would open up for them? Well, maybe that brings a 'smile' to His Countenance.
Wishing all Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach (Happy Holiday),
MashaFaygel