THE CABALA OF SHAVOUT

American Jews typically associate Shavuot with the Book of Ruth, late-night Torah study sessions and eating at least one generous helping of cheesecake.

The holiday of Shavout/Vows is a celebration commemorating the giving of the Torah 3500 years ago – fifty days after the Jewish People gained freedom and became a nation. The Cabala relates this event as a marriage between the Creator, the husband and the Jewish People, the bride.

In a Jewish wedding, the man gives something of worth to the woman and the woman gives herself to the man; at the giving of the Torah, God gave the Jewish People the Ten Commandments and the Jewish People gave themselves to God – promising to fulfill the 613 Commandments inscribed in the Torah.

Every year at this time the Torah is given anew and the vows are rekindled. Shavout concludes what began the first night of Passover 50 days earlier; both holidays happened at night – the greatest light comes out of the darkness. The two days of Shavout are prefaced by the Shabbot.

This three day holiday is mirrored by the Memorial Day weekend celebrating those who fought for freedom. The Talmud-Book of Law writes, There is no freedom without Torah. The freedom of choice given to the human being is, how to use our freedom, to pursue money or pursue truth?

Torah Given

Shavuot, or the "feast of weeks,” is celebrated seven weeks after Passover. It marks the culmination of the Omer period leading to the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.

The word Shavout/Weeks is connected to the words Sovia/Satiated and Shavua/Vows; these three ideas of weeks, satiation and vows culminate on the fiftieth day, the sixth of Sivan when the Jewish People received the Torah which this year falls on the 19th of May.

Passover is the advent of the Jewish People and 50 days later the Jewish People become bride to the Creator who gave the Ten Commandments engraved in two cubes made of sapphire and the Jewish People became bride to the Creator promising to obey and perform the 613 Commandments implicit within the first ten.

The Torah satisfies the soul since God looked into the ocean of the Torah and from that reflection created creation. The Cabala teaches the first commandments given to the first human beings were of a spiritual nature but it was not until the Torah was given on Mount Sinai that the commandments became physical.

The Midrash-Book of Metaphor says Avraham did all the 613 Commandments even before the Torah was given; once in the physical world the commandments become filaments to the spiritual light. Every year at this time the light becomes more profound.