Shavuot – Celebrating the giving of the Torah and the harvest festival – The Jerusalem Post

In Israel, you can truly feel the unique combination represented by the Shavuot holiday. We commemorate the revelation at Sinai, while at the same time celebrating a harvest festival, oscillating between the heights of heaven and the soil of the Land of Israel. We cast our gaze heavenward in seeking to connect with Torah, while at the same time connecting with the earth beneath our feet, and its bounty.

The festival of the giving of the Torah (Matan Torateinu) demands that we prepare ourselves, that we spend the night immersed in learning, that we internalize that the Torah will only continue to exist if it is embraced again and again and on the condition that we prove ourselves worthy of it. And to be worthy of receiving the Torah we need to strive to improve ourselves, on both the personal and communal levels. Yes, we can quote biblical verses and claim that the Torah justifies our actions, but all too often the result is mere hypocrisy (naval birshut HaTorah). If we truly want to embrace the Torah bestowed to our ancestors, we need to work, and work hard. If we aspire to connect with heaven, Shavuot teaches us that the pathway to heaven passes through this world.

In Vayikra Rabbah (Midrash on Leviticus) we learn: Therefore, when you enter the Land of Israel, occupy yourselves first and foremost with planting meaning that entering the land does not call for a mass prayer rally, but rather for agricultural activity.

More than two millennia later, Zionism speaks to us of the connections between a person and the land, between individuals and their destinies, and between fellow human beings. Therefore, by listening to the land we can also learn how to be more attentive to others. Connecting to the land means not just planting a tree and then moving on to something really important, but rather appreciating that a deed that begins in the soil can lead up to heaven.

There are those who believe that revelation was entirely a celestial event, detached from the vanities of this world. They would say (Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 35b): When Israel performs Gods will, their work is performed by others. I am not referring to those who spend all day long studying in yeshivot, but rather to those who focus solely on their own beliefs, their own Torah and only as they understand it thus completely blinding themselves to the world around them.

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We must also take note of Jerusalem Day, which we have just celebrated. God said, I shall not enter the Heavenly Jerusalem until I enter the earthly Jerusalem... Jerusalem rebuilt, a city unified. (Babylonian Talmud, Taanit 5a) Perhaps, if we think about the connections between the heavenly Jerusalem and the earthly Jerusalem, we will succeed in becoming a better society. Better than a society that speaks of Jerusalem as a city unified, from East to West and from North to South. The danger of embracing a Torah that is detached from reality is not only in ignoring those around you, but also in acting neglectfully, and even cruelly toward them.

Rabbi Yoav Ende is executive director of the Hannaton Center for Leadership.

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Shavuot - Celebrating the giving of the Torah and the harvest festival - The Jerusalem Post