by Rabbi Koval
"Rabbi, what's up with the all of the cheesecake on the Holiday of Shavuot? It seems kind of decadent to indulge like that on the day that we commemorate the receiving of the Torah?"
"Great question, one that is discussed in the Talmud itself...!"
There is a debate in the Talmud how to commemorate and celebrate Shabbat and Jewish holidays. Either with the focus on the spiritual (think Yom Kippur,) or with a physical focus (think cheesecake!)... The Talmud concludes this discussion with the following cryptic statement: "On the holiday of Shavuot, all agree that there must be a focus on a physical celebration. Why? Because it is the day that we celebrate the receiving of the Torah!" So what? Isn't that counter-intuitive? The explanation contains a deep, uniquely Jewish message!
What separates human beings from animals? We both have physical needs, drives and pleasures? It is anything that goes beyond the realm of the physical, anything that touches the world of the spirit! Music, art, creativity, emotions are all typically seen as uniquely human experiences, for better or for worse. The struggle between wanting to fit in with wanting to be unique and different than everybody else. The "rush" of interconnecting with fellow human beings when walking the streets of Manhattan? These are all uniquely human feelings, stemming from the unique, creative mission of each soul, on the one hand, and the interconnectedness of
one soul to another and to its source, like the relationship between branches on a tree to each other and to the root of that tree.
These are uniquely human experiences. Well, how about taking the physical, the animalistic side of our world and using the Torah as our guide to inject spirituality into them? Now that's not just uniquely human, it's uniquely Jewish... That is what Shavuot is all about. The Torah teaches us to master our drives and desires. Not by denying them, but rather by enjoying them... in the context and framework of the Torah as the roadmap for peace, a peace that unifies the body and soul. Such a peace will ultimately revolutionize and unify all of mankind...!
That is the mission of the Jewish people, and that is what the holiday of Shavuot is really all about!
Doubles anyone?
