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D'var Torah for Shavuot
2000
It's Time to Receive the Torah. . . Again
This week the festival of Shavuot begins on Thursday night. It is the festival when the first fruits were brought to the Temple, and it is the day the tradition teaches that we received the Torah. It is appropriate to ponder that moment of revelation and its relevance to us at this moment. The following Talmudic passage is worth considering as we approach this time.
Rabbi Joshua b. Levi said, "When Moses ascended on high, the ministering angels spoke before the Holy One, blessed be He, 'Sovereign of the Universe! What business has one born of woman among us?'
'He has come to receive the Torah,' answered God to them. Said they to Him, 'That secret treasure, which has been hidden by You for nine hundred and seventy-four generations before the world was created. You desire to give it to flesh and blood! What is man, that You art mindful of him, and the son of man, that You visit him? O' Lord our God, How excellent is Your Name in all the earth! Who has set Your glory [the Torah] upon the Heavens!'
The Holy One said to Moses, 'Return them an answer.'
'Sovereign of the Universe' replied Moses, 'I fear, lest they consume me with the [fiery] breath of their mouths.'
'Hold on to the Throne of Glory,' said God to Moses, 'and return them an answer.'
Moses [then] spoke before God, 'Sovereign of the Universe! The Torah which You give me, what is written in it -- I am the Lord Your God, who brought you out of the Land of Egypt.'
Said Moses to the angels, 'Did you go down to Egypt? Were you enslaved to Pharaoh? Why then should the Torah be yours?'
'Again, what is written in it? You shall have none other god. Do you dwell among peoples that engage in idol worship?'
'Again, what is written in it? Remember the Sabbath day -- to keep it holy. Do you then perform work, that you need to rest?'
'Again, what is written in it? You shall not take [tissa] [the name ... in vain]. Is there any business [massa] dealings among you?'
'Again, what is written in it? Honor your father and your mother. Have you fathers and mothers?'
'Again, what is written in it? You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. Is there jealousy among you; is the Evil Tempter among you?'
Immediately the angels conceded to the Holy One, for it is said, 'O' Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your Name throughout the land. 'Who has set Your glory upon the heavens is not written.' Immediately each angel saw Moses as beloved..."
Your Talmud Navigator
1. Why are the angels against giving humanity the Torah?
2. Why does God have Moses answer his angel/critics?
3. How does Moses convince them that the Torah is for humanity and not to remain in heaven?
4. Why are the angels so pleased with Moses' argument?
5. Why does this story say the Torah was given to the Jewish people?
6. What was God's reason for giving Torah to the Jewish people?
A Word
It is our consciousness and our ability to choose (not to mention our thumbs) that distinguish us from the animal kingdom, and it is our mortality and our ability to choose that separates us from the angels. We have the potential to succeed or fail in this finite journey, and we have many choices that will inform how life will fare. The animals are on their own, but we have been given a road map that tempers consciousness and conscience. Our frailty, our vulnerability and our ability to change that makes the Torah uniquely suited for a human being. Our ability to change is our greatest gift. It is our potential to fail that allows us to fulfill creation. The angels understand that Torah is for the weak, and therein lies its greatness. It is what makes the weak great.
We are human and we are weak. But, we are also Jews and we are guided by the gift of a unique purpose that makes us collectively strong and eternal.
The Jews on this day were given a moral purpose and a spiritual mandate which ensured their perpetuity.
As we receive the Torah once again, we all rededicate ourselves to this purpose --to be a holy people in the service of their Creator.
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