Shavuot – What’s in a Name? by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher - and video by a REAL anusah

4 Sivan 5778
48th Day of the Omer

Shavuot – What’s in a Name?

by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher

Source

 Why is the Yom Tov of Matan Torah called Shavuot? (Weeks) In Judaism, the name of the Yom Tov defines what took place on that particular Festival. For example, Passover commemorates G-d’s passing over the Jewish first born when He killed the Egyptian first born. On Sukkot (booths) we thank G-d for supplying us with both physical booths and the Clouds of Glory which surrounded us like booths. But what does “Weeks” have to do with Matan Torah?

The Ramban explains that the word Shavuot in Hebrew besides meaning “Weeks”, also means “Vows or Oaths”. That’s exactly what took place on the Festival of the Giving of the Torah. We swore our eternal love and devotion to G-d with those magic words “We will do and then we will listen.” And G-d swore His eternal love and devotion to us, “And you shall be to Me, My most beloved and precious treasure from among all nations”. (Shmot 19:5) So the name Shavuot DOES describe what took place on Chag Matan Torah!

Pesach and Succot have their own sections in the Shulchan Aruch. But where is the section called "Hilchot Shavuot" in the Shulchan Aruch? In fact, Hilchot Shavuot DOES NOT appear. Instead, the last chapter of Hilchot Pesach is called, "Seder Tefillat Chag HaShavuot", and it contains just 3 short sentences. The Shuchan Aruch simply lists the order of davening for Shavuot, and which Torah portions are read, and the prohibition of fasting on the Yom Tov.

What is obvious is the lack of any specific Halachot for Shavuot. There is no Matzah, no sitting in a Succah, no shaking a Lulav, and no blowing of the Shofar. There is nothing that marks Shavuot as a unique Yom Tov from the Halachic prospective of the Shulchan Aruch. The Rama adds some Shavuot customs but not Halachot. The customs that he mentions is putting out plants in the Shuls and houses and eating dairy foods. Even staying up all night on Shavuot is only a custom but not Halacha.

What is responsible for this odd situation on Shavuot? Where are the missing Mitzvot of Shavuot? The Shtei HaLechem and Bikurim were ONLY brought during the time of the Beit HaMikdash. Why are there so many Minhagim on Shavuot? What makes this Festival different from all others? MA NISHTANA?

The Talmud in Pesachim 68, discusses the best way to celebrate Yom Tov, and quotes a dispute between R' Eliezer and R' Yehoshua. R' Eliezer says that Yom Tov should be spent either KULO LAHASHEM, entirely praying to G-D and learning Torah, or KULO LACHEM, entirely as a day of eating and drinking and other physical enjoyment. R' Yehoshua says that the Festivals should be divided in half, CHETZYO LAHASHEM V'CHETZYO LACHEM, half for G-D and half for us.

But even R' Eliezer agrees that Shavuot must also include physical enjoyment thru feasting, because it is the day on which G-D gave us the Torah. Rashi there explains that we need to show that we are still joyful that we accepted the Torah, and therefore we need to celebrate in a physical way by eating and drinking. Thus when we make the Birkat HaTorah we don’t say Natan HaTorah, that G-d GAVE us the Torah, but we say NOTAIN HATORAH, that G-d GIVES us the Torah. Matan Torah began 3,330 years ago but G-d continues to give us the Torah DAY-BY-DAY.

So where are the Halachot and Mitzvot of Shavuot? We can say that Shavuot can't be only a day of ritual Halachic structure. In order for us to demonstrate our joy and happiness for accepting the Torah, Shavuot must include our human input and feedback.

The part of Shavuot meant for physical human enjoyment is described in the Talmud as being for eating and drinking. In fact, the TORAH states that at the celebration of Matan Torah the Jewish People ate and drank! (Shmot 24:11) It seems that this concept on Shavuot has expanded, as generations of Jews have added customs to the celebration of MATAN TORAH.

To show our joy and love for the acceptance of the Torah anew every year, we instill this Festival with delicious new meaning, such as eating cheese cake, cheese blintzes (my favorite), and decorating the Shul with flowers. These customs demonstrate our love and joy for the Yom Tov when G-D GIVES us His Holy Torah.

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If you read my most recent posts, you probably saw the following:

"An interesting aspect Devash explained to me [in a comment, here] is that many Christians, like those she mentioned in her part 1, will claim to be of Sephardic heritage."

Here is the video story of a REAL anusah: a woman whose family, from Spain (the source of the place, Sepharad and its adjective, Sephardic) long ago, was outwardly Christian, but held many, many secrets from her and demanded a great deal of compliance from her with no explanation whatsoever, until she ferreted out the truth for herself:  They were secret Jews, afraid of being caught by the Spanish Inquisition and executed for living their faith in the One True G-d. No joke: the Alhambra Decree was only revoked at the end of 1968.

This kind of history cannot be faked or dismissed; you have to have lived it. My beloved fellow Jews, do not be fooled by Christians who claim this heritage, but still forcefully insist that only accepting jesus the mangod as your savior will bring you salvation. They obviously have not felt this accumulated extremity of pain or suffered the protracted journey the Anusim, through their generations, have traveled to get to the days prior to geula shlemah; or this would be the last thing they would dare think of.

Only HaQadosh Barukh Hu is the source of everything, including salvation and redemption for the whole world; may it come speedily in our days: Amen.

 Shabbat Shalom and Hag Sameah!