Shavuot is upon us, and the question that’s on many people’s minds is, what exactly are we celebrating? So the Torah tells us that HaShem told Moshe that when the Jews leave Egypt, they will serve HaShem “on this mountain”, which was Har Sinai, the Sinai mountain, the place of a great event. That great event was the revelation at Sinai.
Now what was that Revelation? The Revelation was that HaShem appeared before the Jewish People and gave the Torah, which means people were able to get some kind of perception of HaShem. Rashi on Parshat Yitro says HaShem appeared to them as an elderly person, meaning someone with significant life experience. Previously Rashi explained that at the splitting of the sea, HaShem appeared as a younger man, a powerful warrior. So because we have no concept of what HaShem looks like, He appeared as something we could relate to.
Throughout the works of Rebbi Nachman, especially those from Reb Noson, we find the idea that every person has a different perception of what HaShem is, and what He represents. HaShem gave us the Torah, and the root of the word Torah is similar to another Hebrew word, ‘Morah’ (teacher), because the Torah is a guide for the world. Therefore, the more one studies, the more one can understand and grasp the world. Since the Torah came from HaShem, it’s His knowledge and ideas, and He gave it over so that we may know what He wants from us. That’s the main focus in life! HaShem gave us His Torah so that we may tap into its limitless spiritual energy!
As an illustration of this, one need only look at the Oral Torah. The Mishnah, or Oral Torah, was redacted some 2000 years ago. The Talmud, which explains the Mishnah, was redacted about 1500 years ago. But do you know how many commentaries there are on the Mishnah and Talmud? Hundreds and hundreds! And they contain ideas from all these many generations. But they all go back to the Torah, the Ten Commandments we received on Shavuot, as the source of it all. So the tremendous power of HaShem that He placed in the Torah is our heritage, our inheritance! The beauty in that is we’re able to study HaShem’s infinite wisdom!
HaShem gave us His Torah so that we may tap into its limitless spiritual energy!
There’s a verse in Tehillim that says “You did everything HaShem; your thoughts and your wonders are given to us.” The Talmud Yerushalmi comments and says that this verse only applies before the Revelation at Sinai and the Giving of the Torah. But afterwards? The management of the world becomes our job. If we accept it, and look for HaShem in this world by studying the Torah, then HaShem becomes revealed. We can tap into the infinite wisdom that HaShem placed in this world. And if we don’t, we’re like blind people stumbling around. Despite the fact that it’s light outside, what do we really see? The next point scored in a football game? Another piece of clothing from the mall? A fancy restaurant meal? An expensive cruise? But as long as we’re tapped into the infinite power of HaShem’s spirituality, we can elevate the materialistic, and enjoy the best of both worlds.