Shavuot

In years past we haven’t put much effort into the exploration of this Biblical holiday. I’m not sure why, something just seemed so foreign. Growing up in a Christian home, the holidays have become a reflection of what I’ve always known, that God is with us and wants to participate in our lives. The holidays are not just a frivolous good time, but they are specifically designed to provide regular times of meeting–specific times to convene with the Creator in a way that helps us understand Him and the world around us.

So, we are trying harder this year to get-it. Tonight we had a little potluck with friends to learn and ‘convoke’ (one of the commandments). Shavuot marks the end of the Passover season, which for us has been very eventful! It feels a little like the unwinding–the resolution. It’s the end of one harvest, the beginning of another; it also marks the giving of the Law to the Israelites, a people floundering in the desert, a people without direction.

For me, there’s been a revelation. The Hebrew people were freed from bondage, freed from enslavement. A lot of folks look at the commandments as a new bondage, but the truth is it only gave them more freedom. They wandered meaninglessly in the desert, repeatedly doing the same silly things and forgetting the bondage they escaped–or worse, remembering it fondly, some wanting to return. Without the gift of the law we’d all still be in the desert–it’s the Torah that maps a path straight to the Promised Land, even though we don’t deserve it…

Anyway, these little nuances of our faith add such depth. So, tonight and tomorrow we think about the giving of the Commandments. One fun way to do this? Making Blintzes–of course! and piling them high to represent Mt. Sinai. Oh, and reading this book.