This week's D'var Torah from NERUSY
Rel/Ed VP Charlene Thrope:
On this very day, the 5th of Sivan, thousands of years ago, the Israelites were purifying themselves, according to Moshe's instruction, at Mount Sinai. On the next day, the 6th of Sivan, thunder and lightning surrounded Mount Sinai and the Israelites heard loud shofar blasts. Moshe then brought down two tablets containing the Aseret Hadibrot, the Ten Commandments. This day is marked in the Jewish calendar as "Z'man Matan Torahteinu," the time of the giving of our Torah, also known as Shavuot.
After seven complete weeks of counting the omer, including the shloshet y'mei hagballah, three days of purification, Shavuot is finally here. On the first night of Shavuot, many participate in a Tikkun L'eil Shavuot, an all-night Torah study session. Another Shavuot custom is eating dairy. Because the Israelites didn't immediately have an opportunity to kill kosher meat or to kasher their cooking utensils after the laws of kashrut were given, they were only able to eat dairy on Shavuot.
At shul, in order to reenact the giving of the Aseret Hadibrot, we actually read the Aseret Hadibrot from the Torah. We also read the Megillat Ruth, the Book of Ruth, a story of conversion. Shavuot is traditionally associated with conversion because we are all like converts on Shavuot, having our first opportunity to receive the Torah.
Matan Torah, the giving of the Torah, was an event, but the receiving of the Torah is a process. Torah is accessible, but we must take the initiative to reach out to it. We cannot be passive about our Jewish education. Instead, we must embrace and internalize Torah. What we learn at USY events, shul, Midrasha, or Prozdor should become a part of our lives. The Torah was given on one day, Shavuot, but we have the opportunity to receive the Torah every day.
I hope you all enjoy Shavuot by studying Torah until dawn, eating cheesecake and blintzes, and continuing to appreciate the gift of Torah throughout the year.
