SHAVUOS
Can you figure out what each picture has to do with Shavuos?
Rabbi Dani Staum
KEY to Shavuos Pix
Staying awake all night – There is a prevalent custom to learn Torah through the night on Shavuosto “rectify” the fact that our ancestors had to be woken for Kabbolas HaTorah (see below).
The Book of Yecheskel – The haftorah for the first day of Shavuos is from the first chapter in Yecheskel in which the prophet describes the “ma’aseh hamerkava“ his esoteric vision of the Divine Chariot, as it were. (After being up all night, the largely incomprehensible and esoteric haftorah causes many who succesfully remained awake during davening to fall prey to desperate shuteye.)
Finally 50 – and now it really starts – Shavuos is day 50 of Sefiras Haomer. “Now it really starts” because after Shavuos is the real test if we can take our spiritual gains with us even after Kabbolas HaTorah.
Dairy King – There is a well-known custom to eat dairy at some of the Shavuos meals. Many reasons are given for the custom.
Good grief! I overslept! – The source of the custom to stay up all night learning Torah is because on the morning of Kabbolas HaTorah, Moshe Rabbeinu had to wake up Klal Yisroel who were still sleeping. (Rav Schwab explains that the nation thought they would receive Torah through prophecy, which rests on a prophet when he is in a trance-like state. Therefore, the nation thought they had to be sleeping to accept the Torah. Moshe woke them and told them they would experience Kabbolas HaTorah with utmost clarity, not while sleeping.)
The House that Ruth built – On the second day of Shavuos we read Megillas Rus (Ruth). That day is the yahrtzeit of her descendant Dovid Hamelech. The ‘house’ she built included the Davidic dynasty, culminating with Melech Moshiach. We read it on Shavuos because the entire story is about chessed and the Torah is called “Toras Chessed”
Leviathan – On the first morning of Shavuos we read Akdamus. In the beloved piyyut, there is a description of an epic battle that will take place at the end of days between a mammoth ox (shor habor) and the leviathan. They will end up killing each other and their meat eaten by the righteous in a great feast.
Types of Fruit Trees – The Mishna in Rosh Hashana relates that Shavuos is the Day of Judgement for the fruits production of the year.
Rin Rin – Inserted into the haftorah of the second day of Shavuos is a lesser-known piyyut of Yetziv Pisgam. The piyyut describes the merit and greatness of Torah. Each phrase of the Aramaic piyyut ends with “rin”
Har Sinai – Kabbolas HaTorah at Har Sinai is the foundation of our emunah – see Rambam (Yesodei HaTorah 8:1)
Celebration Week – Shavuos means “weeks”. The holiday of Shavuos has the longest official preparation time of any holiday of the year – seven weeks. Our celebration on Shavuos is dependent on how much we prepared during the preceding weeks.
Flowers – There is a prevalent custom to adorn our homes and shuls with flowers on Shavuos, reminiscent of Har Sinai when the mountain in the desert was suddenly in full bloom during Mattan Torah.
Harvesting grain – Shavuos is also called “Chag Hakatzir – the holiday of the harvest” since it is celebrated during that season. The story of Rus read on Shavuos also involves the harvest. Rus ended up in Boaz’s field to glean some of the fallen sheaves during the harvest.
Two loaves of bread – During the time of the Bais Hamikdash, a special offering was brought on Shavuos consisting of two loaves of bread, along with two sheep. It was the only time when chometz was brought up on the Mizbeiach (while the loaves were ritually waved) and those sheep comprised the only public korban shelamim offered (a shelmaim– peace offering was generally only brought by individuals).
