Parsha Partner

Parsha Perspectives

— Rabbi Leiby Burnham

Shavuos is a unique holiday in that there are no biblical commandments to perform on this day. On Succos, we have the lulav and esrog to shake and the succah to live in. On Passover, we have matzah to eat and the Seder at which we relate the story of the Exodus. But on Shavuos, we have nothing.

To better understand this holiday, let us consider the offering brought in the Temple on Shavuos.

You shall count for yourselves, from the day after the day of rest (Pesach), from the day on which you will bring the omer wave-offering, seven complete weeks…you shall count fifty days, and you shall bring a new meal-offering to Ha-shem. From your dwelling places you shall bring two bread wave-offerings…You shall bake them leavened, as first-fruit-offering to Ha-shem. (Leviticus 23: 15-18)

The Omer offering, which is brought on the second day of Pesach, consists of barley and is unleavened. The Shavuos sacrifice, the Shtei Halechem, is brought from wheat, and unlike most other meal offerings, consists of chametz, leavened bread. There is a strong significance in the different types of grain in these sacrifices. Barley was a grain used primarily as animal feed. Animals don’t work to prepare their meals and eat whatever you put before them. Unleavened bread, similarly, represents simplicity in food – there is no processing involved; just combine flour and water, and bake! This unprocessed state represents the Jewish people on Passover – a nation taken out of slavery in a lowly and unsophisticated condition, without a sense of identity or direction. We were taken out of Egypt by a G-d with whom we had only a limited relationship, similar in a sense to the way an animal gets its food from a farmer without any meaningful relationship between them.

Immediately after being taken out of Egypt, however, we started Sefiras Ha’Omer, the daily counting, toward Shavuos, gradually building our relationship with G-d, until the point when the Jewish nation bound itself to G-d as husband and wife! It was only upon reaching a certain level of devotion and relationship with Hashem that we were worthy of being given the Torah. At that point, the offering we brought was made of wheat, the grain normally used by humans, and it was leavened, highlighting the work and effort it took us to get there.

To a certain extent, the cliché “You are what you eat,” is true. Man is here on this world to elevate himself and to grow through challenges. If man were to remain on Pesach’s “barley” level, it would represent his succumbing to an existence in which he, like the animal, does not struggle and grow.

This processed bread, obtained through toil, which is offered on Shavuos, contains a dual message. Firstly, through the work we put into the 49 days following our exodus from Egypt, we reached a level that earned us the privilege of receiving the Torah. This is because Torah can only be achieved through hard work. Secondly, the Torah that was given that day contains the tools with which we can perfect ourselves. The Torah teaches us how to overcome challenges and raise ourselves above the level of the animals that surround us.

The Shavuos offering points to the ultimate gift we received on that day. Properly understood, this is far more valuable to us than any specific mitzvah we could perform.

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Parsha Talking Points

Shavuos – The Scroll of Ruth

1. Moab Mentality

“And Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth and they lived there about ten years.” Ruth 1:3-4Her two sons - The name Machlon which is related to the word, “Mechilah” [forgiveness] and he married Ruth who was purged of sin. Kilyon is related to the word, “Kliyah” [destruction] and he married Orpah from whom emerged [the wicked] Goliath. – Midrash Zutah, Ruth 1

• Elimelech died…they married Moabite women – The order of the verse implies that these marriages took place only after their father had passed. During his lifetime, he refused to permit them to do so. Following his death, Naomi, a widow struggling to survive, did not possess the strength to prevent it. – Rokeach
• One named Orpah, the other Ruth - Orpah married Kilyon, the younger of the two boys. It seems strange that his wife would be mentioned first in the verse before Ruth who married Machlon? Apparently, although he was younger he took the first step and married a Moabite only to be followed by his older brother who then married Ruth. Nevertheless, the first to die was Machlon because as the elder sibling, he should have protested his brother’s actions. – Taama D’Kra [Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky shlit"a]

Rabbi Kanievsky (shlit”a) adds that although Machlon perished first, his wife Ruth went on to create a beautiful legacy to his name, whereas Kilyon’s wife Orpah stained his name forever with her subsequent actions. Perhaps this is because Kilyon saw his older brother perish and yet did nothing to mend his ways. Machlon merited the forgiveness symbolized by his name, whereas Kilyon met the destruction predicted by his.

2. The Power to Lead

“And she lay at his feet until the morning; and she rose up before one could discern another. For he said: ‘Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing-floor.’ – Ruth 3:14

• For he said - He said to himself that it is not fitting that anyone know that she lay by my feet, so he urged her to rise and leave quickly. – Rashi
• And she lay at his feet until the morning - Rabbi Yehudah said, “That entire night his evil inclination urged him to take her for himself. ‘You are single and she is too. Why not take her for yourself?’ He, instead, took an oath that he would not cohabit with her.” – Midrash Rabba, Ruth, 6:4

Boaz was the leader of his generation. Powerful men are typically wont to abuse their power, not restrain it. Here, Ruth presented herself to him in secret and there was no one to stop him from engaging in whatever behavior appealed to him. Incredibly, rather than submit to temptation, he took an oath that he would reject her advances and wait until the situation was resolved. This is a sign of true strength as befits a Jewish leader and this is also symbolized in his name “Boaz” which can be divided in two to read, “Bo” – within him is, and “Az” – strength.

3. Last Second Chances

“And the [potential] redeemer said: ‘I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I tarnish my own inheritance; you take my right of redemption on yourself; for I cannot redeem it.’” – Ruth, 4:6

• Lest I tarnish my inheritance – By this he meant his offspring, whose lineage would be called into question for he erred in thinking that the prohibition to marry a Moabite included the females too. – Rashi
• The potential redeemer – His name is not mentioned at all in the narrative for he would not do the redemption. – Rashi, Ruth 4:1

Omitting his name was not only a means of sparing him embarrassment. It was also meant to connote that this individual failed to seize a golden opportunity handed to him and as such failed in his greatest mission in life. He could have been a patriarch of the House of David and forfeited the opportunity too easily. As such, he had no name. He never became who he could have been. Boaz, on the other hand, was a leading Judge of the nation. He had already sired many [some say as many as sixty] children, but tragically, none of them survived him. His marriage to Ruth was almost an afterthought and lasted exactly one evening. From that union, however, a child was born who later became the grandfather of King David. In one evening, Boaz made a name for himself to a degree that he hadn’t managed in his entire lifetime, until this point.

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Partner Talk

Dear Rabbi:

I’m going to be discussing the holiday of Shavuos with my partner this week and was hoping you can help me better explain why we eat dairy on Shavuos as opposed to Shabbos when we generally eat meat meals.

Thank you,

Please Don’t Print My Name

Dear PDPMN,

As you well know, our time-hallowed traditions in Judaism always have a deeper meaning.  Certainly, we are to celebrate our holidays with good food, but we know it’s not only about food.  A dairy meal on Shavuos has its origins in the very event that Shavuos commemorates-the giving of the Torah some 3300 years ago on Mt. Sinai.

If we think back to the diet the Jews had just before the Torah was given and just afterwards, it will become very apparent that there was one major difference.  Before the Torah was given, the Jews were not commanded to eat only kosher food.  As a result, the meat products they ate were not slaughtered according to kosher regulation, which requires a special technique in order to render the animal’s meat kosher.  However, once the Jews accepted the Torah on Shavuos, they pledged to observe all the commandments of the Torah and therefore were required to eat only kosher food.  Since the production of kosher meat for an entire nation of millions required a substantial time to establish, it turns out that the day they accepted the Torah they were not able to eat meat, since kosher meat was yet unavailable.  The only alternative was to eat not-meat dishes, such as dairy items (milk and cheese) and pareve items (vegetables, fish, eggs, etc.).  When eating a dairy meal on Shavuos, we recall the sincere and immediate implementation that our ancestors showed when they made their commitment to abide by the Torah.

On a deeper level, our Tradition indicates that each day of the solar year corresponds to one of the 365 prohibitions of the Torah. One view is that the day of Shavuos corresponds to the prohibition of mixing milk with meat, since this commandment is juxtaposed to the verse which discusses Shavuos (Ex. 34:26).  Many families have the custom on Shavuos of eating a brief dairy meal and then following it with a meat meal.  By not mixing the two meals together, we are demonstrating scrupulous adherence to the prohibition of eating milk and meat.

This prohibition of eating milk and meat has particular meaning on Shavuos and captures the essence of the day.  As expressed in the Torah, this prohibition reads, “Do not cook a kid in its mother’s milk.”  However, the Talmud tells us more specifically that this prohibition not only applies to the cooking of the two together, but also extends to eating a dish that has had milk and meat cooked together.  Without this Oral Tradition, we would never have known the full extent of the prohibition against milk and meat.  In fact, the Midrash tells us that when Moses was about to write this prohibition, he hesitated, intending to write, “Do not eat a kid cooked in its mother’s milk,” since this is the true meaning of the verse.  However, immediately G-d countered (as we find in the next verse), “Write these words (meaning, omit the word eat, and write, “Do not cook . . .”), because according to these words have I made a covenant with you and with Israel.”  G-d replied to Moses that the written Torah should remain unchanged so that it would require the explanations provided by the Talmud (Oral Tradition), since it is the Oral Tradition which creates the covenant between G-d and Israel.

On Shavuos, we commemorate G-d’s giving the Torah to the Jewish people.  This Torah contains two parts-the written version found in the Torah scroll and the Oral explanation that Moses was given which explains the written text.  Specifically by engaging in a dairy meal and following it with meat meal do we emphasize that it is also the Oral Tradition we received from Sinai that we celebrate on this day.

I wish you and your family a wonderful Yom Tov!

Regards,
Rabbi Reuven Drucker

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Soul Talk

The Talmud states in Pesachim (68b) that with respect to all of the festivals there is a dispute whether one is obligated to celebrate the festival לָכֶם, for you – that is, by indulging in festive meals and deriving his simchas Yom Tov (joy of the holiday) from personal enjoyment – or to use the day לַה’, for Hashem, to reach a higher level of spirituality, through prayer and Torah. When it comes to Shavuos, however, the Talmud says that everyone agrees that one must indulge in a Yom Tov meal, as it is the day when the Torah was given. This seems hard to comprehend. Why does the day the Torah was given, with all its laws and restrictions, demand involvement in such mundane pursuits as eating and drinking?

Rashi explains that we should celebrate with fine food and drink to show how precious and cherished this day, on which we received the Torah, is for us.

Shiras David explains the words of Rashi as follows. He notes that when one learns Torah, no one else besides him can know the depth of the joy that he is experiencing in his Torah study. However, when one makes a feast and invites others to participate, he is sharing his joy with others. Rashi is stressing that a person must show to others the joy that comes from Torah. It is a day in which our overflowing happiness should spill over to as many people as possible, so that they can feel the joy of Torah. It is important to make known to all that the joy of Torah is one that is universal, and can be understood by those in all walks of life.

Shiras David notes further that some people mistakenly think that a person benefits from his Torah study only in the World to Come, but not in this world, which is a place for worldly pleasures. We therefore make a point of celebrating a feast with fine food and drink on Shavuos, to show that there is also physical gain and happiness that can be felt through Torah study, even in this world.

We can now understand another Talmud in Pesachim (68b). Rav Yosef would command his family members on Shavuos to prepare a lavish meal with the choicest meats, because he declared: ”If not for this day, how would I be different from the many other Yosefs in the market?!”

Rav Yosef did this to demonstrate to others the great satisfaction and the euphoric feeling that he experienced from his Torah learning. As Rashi says, Rav Yosef celebrated the fact that he became exalted over all those other ”Yosefs” who had not yet had the opportunity to learn Torah.

Rav Yosef was certainly not boasting of his scholarship. Rather, this announcement was made to attract others to the sweetness of Torah, as it says in Psalms (34:9): טַעֲמוּ וּרְאוּ כִּי-טוֹב ה’, Contemplate and see that Hashem is good! Once a person tastes the sweetness of Torah, even one time, he is sure to appreciate it.

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Table Talk

1.      The names of most Jewish holidays have an identifiable connection to either its history or its associated mitzvos. Although Shavuos has other names as well, its primary name, Shavuos, means ‘weeks’, referring to the seven-week counting (Sefiras Ha’omer) from Passover to Shavuos. Why would the holiday’s name make reference to the pre-holiday mitzvah rather than to the days primary significance – receiving the Torah?

2.      In the Book of Ruth (Rus), we learn about the passing of Elimelech along with his two sons, about his impoverished wife Naomi’s decisions to return to Israel, about Ruth the Moabite – one of the daughter-in-law’s decision to remain in Naomi’s company, and about Rus’ encounter with her deceased father-in-law’s prominent relative Boaz who was especially generous to Ruth. According to the Targum, Boaz explains his generosity firstly as a reward for Ruth’s kindness to her mother-in-law Naomi, and secondarily for abandoning her idols and joining the unfamiliar Jewish nation. He further prophetically told her that she would merit having the monarchy of Israel descend from her as a result of these two deeds. Why should the kindness of accompanying her grieving mother-in-law be considered as playing a greater role in being rewarded with Jewish royalty than her joining the Jewish nation, an act which involved extreme self-sacrifice and a complete life-transformation?

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