Shavuot - 5784 June 12, 2024 By Rabbi Irwin Wiener, D.D.

Shavuot is an interesting holiday commemorating our understanding of life, happiness and commitment. When we received the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai, a new chapter in the history of mankind developed that included responsibilities to our fellow man, to ourselves and to God, who blessed us with the wisdom that has become the standard used by generations. The Commandments have been and remain a message for all people in helping us realize that life is of no value unless it contains discipline and connection – connection to each other and to God.

There are many customs associated with this forgotten holiday. One is that we traditionally eat dairy instead of meat products as a reminder that life is precious – all life.

We also read from the Book of Ruth, which describes the essence of loyalty and devotion to family and faith. Ruth utters the most famous of the declarations found in the Bible as she remarks to her mother-in-law, Naomi, “Whither thou goest, I will go. Thy people will be my people, they God my God.” Ruth marries Boaz and from that union King David was given to us to begin the process of solidifying the Israelites into one nation.

Another custom, in traditional circles, is remaining awake all night in the study of Torah. Finally, it is one of the four times a year we recite the Yizkor prayers in memory of loved ones who are no longer part of our everyday experiences. I remember the all-night sessions during my religious education. Contests would be held to determine who among the students could recite chapter and verse from the Torah or the Mishnah or the Talmud from memory. It was a time of seriousness and fun.

To this very day, I open my editions of the Talmud and Bible on Shavuot Eve to pay tribute to those times as well as to the words written thousands of years ago that ring true today. The gifts of knowledge are precious and sometimes we take them for granted – all forms of knowledge.

Unfortunately, after the fun of Shavuot, our attention turns to the tragedies that have befallen our people from the ancient past to the present as we observe Tisha B’Av. This date of the 9th of Av caused our people much agony and pain. The two Temples were destroyed, one by the Syrian Greeks and the other by the Romans. From the second destruction we never recovered and suffered many calamities over the two thousand years.

And then, in modern history, the greatest miracle occurred with the return of the exiles and the re birth of a people in their God given land. This time it is forever, and though we witness continued pain and turmoil for accepting the responsibility given to us by God, we will remain steadfast in our determination to NEVER AGAIN witness the attempt at the destruction of the Jewish People. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur offer us an opportunity to pause and reflect. Tisha B’Av offers us the opportunity to remain strong of heart and hope.