A Month of Torah

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Healing with Shavuot

As the mountain exhaled smoke and fire, thunder roared, a thick cloud appeared upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet sounded exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled and Moses began to face the awesome might of the Holy One to receive the Israelites end of the deal. This was the momentous event in Jewish history when God revealed himself for the first time; it is the Revelation. The people had no idea what was in store for them, but the six hundred thousand sensed that something otherworldly was about to happen. Eventually Moses descended the mountain bearing two tablets of stone, which unfortunately smashed to bits, as the furious Moses observed the Israelites celebrating around a golden calf. Shavuot is the celebration of receiving the Torah on Mt. Sinai.

Perhaps in some way, we can see our own illnesses as the result of paying tribute to another kind of statue. Idolatry is just that: worshipping any deity, other than the Holy One, blessed be He, that causes physical or emotional challenges—high cholesterol foods, sedentary activities, sporting events, violent TV programs, or X-rated movies, are just a few examples. Instead, the road to recovery is worshipping God, our true healer. Shavuot gives us an annual opportunity to turn within and find the spark that could allow us to pay homage to God by starting a course of studying the Torah. The text tells us: “And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the posterior part of the mount”(Exodus 19:17). We meet with God today through the words of the Torah. The text itself tells the story of where we came from and where we are headed. So somewhere throughout the chapters and verses, we learn the unhealthy behaviors we adopted, and the starting place towards recovery.

Healing can be defined as the natural process by which the body repairs itself. As an integral part of nature, we all consist of the energy of Creation. A number of terms have been coined throughout the history of healing practices to describe energy; for our purposes, we mean the vital energy, the power that energizes life. This power is synonymous with what we call God. On Shavuot, we refresh our connection to God, our healing power, by receiving His Torah.

One simple way to get started is to read the brief Synopsis of the portion, the Spiritual Insights, the Key verses and the Creative Midrash to Parashat Yitro, the portion where the details of Shavuot is found at http://www.jewishealing.com/yitro.html. Pay particular attention to the Key Verses that could give you some insight into your own life predicaments and perhaps even ideas on how to resolve them.

The Tikkun Leil literally “night of healing” is a tradition, which falls out on the first evening of the Festival, a night of learning and discussion of Torah. Think of this holiday as a celebration for receiving the Torah and as a kickoff time to start your own program of learning Torah. Torah is what Jews study daily.

Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks, is the second of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance (the other two are Passover and Succot). Agriculturally, it commemorates the time when the first fruits were harvested and brought to the Temple, and the holiday is known as Hag ha-Bikkurim (the Festival of the First Fruits). Historically, it celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, and known as Hag Matan Torateinu (the Festival of the Giving of Our Torah).

The period from Passover to Shavuot, also known as the Feast of the Weeks, is a time of great anticipation—waiting for the ripening of the first crops; it is the time the farmers of Israel brought their first harvest to Jerusalem as a token of thanksgiving. We count each of the days from the second day of Passover to the day before Shavuot, 49 days, or seven full weeks.

Shavuot also commemorates the anniversary of the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai. The farmers of Israel would begin their spring harvests with the barley crop at Passover. The harvest continued for seven weeks as the other crops and fruits began to ripen. As each fruit ripened, the first of each type would not be eaten but instead the farmer would tie a ribbon around the branch. This ribbon signified that these fruits were Bikkurim, or the first fruits. t Shavuot, the farmers would gather the Bikkurim into baskets and bring them to the city of Jerusalem where they are eaten in the holy city. The farmers living close to Jerusalem would bring fresh fruits, while those who had to travel a long distance carried dried raisins and figs. With the music of fifes, timbrels, and drums, was this joyful occasion celebrated. As the pilgrims approached the city walls, the inhabitants of the city greeted them. Sometimes the King himself would join the procession to the Temple Mount. In present day Israel, the Bikkurim ritual is not practiced any longer