Second Day Of Shavuot
Special Torah Portion: Deut 15:19-16:17; Numbers 28:26-31
Special Haftorah Portion: Habakkuk 2:20, 3:1-19
6/10/00
7 Sivan, 5760
Uniqueness
Each human experiences those occasions that elicit memories of significant events. A wedding, the birth of a child, a graduation from school, each brings to mind a remembrance of what took place at that point, what it took to get to that point, and a glimpse of a "hope for" future.
So it is with Shavuot, we glimpse the time when we were given the Torah, and we look forward to what can happen, "if." "If," we follow G-d's instructions for the world. I often find myself in discussions with Christians concerning humanity's ability to keep the Law. Fundamentalist Christians would tell us that G-d gave the Law, knowing full well that we could not keep the Law. Then, they will go on to say, G-d punishes us for not keeping the Law that G-d knew we could not keep in the first place. A strange bit of reasoning, and certainly not very theologically or morally sound reasoning. Strikingly, as Deuteronomy 30:10-14 points out, the Law can be followed.
Has any one of us really thought about what would happen if the entire Torah was emulated? Obviously, some of the mitzvoth cannot occur because of various physical conditions in Israel. However, most of what G-d asks of us in the Torah of 3500 years ago, can be accomplished in the 21st century. To borrow a bit from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "I have a dream: From Sarajevo to Berlin, let Torah ring! From Somalia to New York City, Let Torah ring! From Jerusalem to Tokyo, let Torah ring! From Tel Aviv to Los Angeles, let Torah ring! From Johannesburg to Moscow, let Torah ring! I have a dream."
Do we want to alleviate poverty? Follow the Torah! Do we want justice in the world? Follow the Torah! Do we want to see a world ecologically sound? Follow the Torah! Do we want men and women to care about their neighbor? Follow the Torah! Do we want a sound economy for all people? Follow the Torah! We can indeed complete what G-d has laid out for us to do, -the healing of the world!
We can note in these passages concerning Shavuot that they emphasized the remembrance of G-d's goodness and G-d's action in history. What greater gift could be bestowed upon the people than G-d's own Words of love, concern and advice. Worship enabled Israel to remember the goodness of G-d in her history while reaffirming the reality of G-d's presence in both the present moments of worship and in life beyond the worship center. So worship recreated the past event of G-d in the present moment of worship while bringing to reality the power of G-d in the present moment of human experience. Before entering a new life in a new land, Israel affirmed a pattern for celebrating the joy of G-d's presence.
Shalom U'Vracha,
Thomas
