Shavuot
Receiving the Torah
What is Shavuot?
Shavuot, also referred to as the Mount Sinai Revelation, is considered in Jewish tradition to be one of the defining spiritual moments in human history. It commemorates the day on which the Israelites received the Torah on Mount Sinai and became a nation committed to serving G-d. The holiday typically falls on the 6th of Sivan (and the 7th in the Disapora), but no explicit date is provided in the Torah, rather Shavuot is always 50 days from the 2nd day of Passover, marking the conclusion of the Counting of the Omer. Shavuot is considered one of the the three Biblical pilgrimage festivals, along with Passover and Sukkot. In Israel the holiday is celebrated for one day, while in the diaspora, it is celebrated for two.
The holiday is connected to the month of Sivan and the seven-week, 49-day, period of "counting" the Omer. Sivan (Gemini) is represented by the duality of human twins. Similar to the contrasting spiritual paths represented by the biblical twins, Jacob and Esau, Shavuot has the duality of light and dark or physical and spiritual. This duality can be seen by the physical nation of the Israelites connecting with the spiritual nature of the Torah at Mount Sinai.
50 Days of Counting
In order to get the full "Light" from the manifestation and receiving of the Torah on Shavuot, we first need to correct or rectify all aspects of our soul. According to the sages, each aspect of our soul is represented by a sephirah (plural - sephirot). Each sephirot has a corresponding human essence (ie. mercy, judgement, bonding, endurance). The lower 7 of the 10 sephirot - Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod and Malchut, are each counted, one within the other, and rectified through personal reflection and meditation, for a total of 49 days.
For example, on day 1 we count Chesed of Chesed, and on day 2 we count Gevurah of Chesed, for a total of 49 days. After the counting, the sephirot are rectified and in a state of unity. It is only at the place of unity where we resonate with the same love and unity found in the Torah and are prepared to receive the revelation on the 50th day.
50 is literally one above 49 and has the essence of miracles, beyond the physical realm. Seven is the standard measure of completion n the physical world (i.e 7 seas, 7 musical notes, 7 days of the week, 7 colors in the spectrum, 7 continents).while 50 is one above 7 (x7) in the higher realm. According to Kabbalistic tradtion, by refining the 49 aspects of our soul and elevating ourselves from the 49 gates of impurity associated with Egypt, we can break through to the realm of miracles and receive the infinite light and wisdom of the Torah on Shavuot.
How Do We Celebrate?
There are several customs and mystical practices followed on Shavuot. These practices are reflected by the acronym "Acharit", which represents Akdamut, Chalav, Ruth, Yerek and Torah.
AKDAMUT - This 90-verse poem written by Rabbi Meir Ben Yitzach is recited in most synagogues during the Torah reading on the first day of Shavuot. It consists of praise for G-d and the Torah. The language of the Akdamut is complex and has a hidden message. Each line of the poem concludes with the syllable "ta", represented by the last and first letters of the Hebrew alphabet - Tav and Aleph. The message is that a Jew never stops learning Torah, and when the last letter is reached, they must start again anew. The custom of reciting the Akdamut became widespread in the 15th Century.
CHALAV - It is typical to eat dairy on Shavuot. The commentators provide 4 primary reasons: (1) following the Mount Sinai revelation, there was no time to properly slaughter and kosher an animal so dairy was chosen for the celebratory meal; (2) the Torah is said to be akin to "milk & honey"; (3) dairy reflects a gentler, spiritually-elevated form of celebration; and (4) the numerical value of the word Chalav, the Hebrew word for milk, is 40. This is the same number of days and nights Moses spent on Mount Sinai before coming down the mountain with the Torah.
RUTH - It is customary to read the Book of Ruth on the 2nd day of Shavuot. Ruth was a Moabite princess who followed her Jewish mother-in-law, Naomi, into the land of Israel after her husband died. The story of Ruth has several beautiful connections to Shavuot:
(1) The story details how Ruth would work in the fields to help support herself and Naomi. One of the fields she chose to work belonged to a wealthy Judge, Boaz. Boaz saw her kindness to Naomi and eventually married her. The story takes place during the harvest time, and connects to the wheat harvest in Israel when Shavuot is also celebrated;
(2) there is a general theme of Chesed (mercy or kindness) in the story which connects us to the similar energy of Chesed in the Torah;
3) Ruth converted to a Judiasm and joined the people of of Israel, giving up her Moab ancestry. This act represents the entry into a covenant with the Torah, similar to what occurred between the nation of Israel and G-d at the Mount Sinai Revelation;
(4) the numerical value of Ruth is to 606, which sages connect to the 613 commandments when combined with the seven Noahide laws already incumbent upon humanity
(5) the story represents Ruth's journey from bondage and slavery (the spiritual limitations of Moab) to freedom and love (she gave birth to Obed, the grandfather of King David). The story parallels the Israelites journey from slavery in Egypt to the receiving of the Torah at Mt .Sinai;
(6) Jewish tradition says that King David was born and died on Shavuot. Some mystical traditions connect the soul of the Baal Shem Tov to the soul root of King David and that Moshiach will come from the ancestral line.
YEREK - Yerek or greenery is part of the Shavuot celebration. The greenery is connected to Shavuot's origin as a wheat harvest festival in Israel and to the greenery that bloomed at the base of Mount Sinai when the revelation of the Torah took place. It is customary to decorate homes and synagogues with plants, flowers and leafy branches.
TORAH - The centerpiece of the holiday is the Torah. Every year the full energy of the revelation returns in potential to the cosmos, and anyone can connect to it through an all night Torah study. The night of Shavuot is referred to as the “Night of the Bride” where the Jewish people (the bride), get prepared to receive the Torah and G-d (the groom) the following day.
The initial reference to an all-night study is found in the Zohar, and it become more widely practiced when Joseph Caro, the author of the Shulchan Aruch, established an organized study with his mystic colleagues in the early 16th Century. The Torah study is referred to as the Tikkun Leil Shavuot and was subsequently codified by the famous Kabbalist, Rabbi Issac Luria, known as the Ari.
The study traditionally includes selections from the 24 books of the Tanach along with passages from the Mishna, Talmud, Sefer Yetzirah and the Zohar. These readings symbolically correspond to the spiritual ornaments used to prepare the bride.
Spiritually, humanity and everything in the physical realm are part of Malchut, the lowest spherot, represented by Sovereignty. By preparing ourselves as the bride on Shavuot evening, we are are able to unite Malchut with Zeir Anpin, the spiritual spheres, represented by the Torah, or groom in the morning. The light revealed through this process is so powerful, that the Ari, Rashi and other Torah mystics stated that whoever participates in the all-night study connects to a special spiritual protection and blessing for the year ahead.
Also, the Zohar reveals that sleep is 1/60th of death, so by overcoming our urge to sleep, we symbolically transcend spiritual inertia and connect to the energy of eternal life. There is a Midrash that states the Israelites fell asleep and had to be awakened to receive the Torah - another reason many people stay awake all night.
Additional Insights to Shavuot
Quantum Leap to Freedom - Shavuot, on the 50th day following the Counting of the Omer, connects us to the energy of freedom. The holiday concludes the work we started 49-days prior, on the 2nd night of Passover, when we made the spiritual journey out of slave consciousness and despair from our personal Egypt. The 49-day rectification of our souls and creation of unity through the Counting of the Omer, allows us to connect to the energy of freedom. The mystics say “there was freedom on the Tablets”.
Goodness & Morality - The Torah introduced one of history's most influential systems on spiritual and moral responsibility. It set forth the laws of cause and effect and took humanity out of darkness with a comprehensive set of rules for morality. The Torah's ethical framework helped shape many of the moral foundations that continue to influence Western civilization and human responsibility today. The Torah is a guide that allows us to become our highest selves by taking full responsibility for our actions.Have a happy and Light-filled Shavuot!
Resources & Credits
The Holiday Wisdom emails and the ideas presented herein are compiled from the following sources:
Gutnick Edition Chumash with Rashi's commentary, Targum Onkelos, and commentary anthologized from Classic Rabbinic Texts and the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
Apples from the Orchard - Gleanings from the Mystical Teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria on the Weekly Torah Portion
Kabbalistic Bible - Kabbalah Centre International, Inc
Chabad.org
LiveKabbalah.org
The Zohar - Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, various translations
Mysteries of the Kabbalah - Marc-Alain Ouaknin
Other online written and video content that discusses and shares Kabbalistic Wisdom