* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
Approximately 100,000 people came to the Kotel (the Western Wall) over the festival of Shavuot, according to data released by the Western Wall Foundation and local police. I was privileged to be among them.
I participated in a festive and moving holiday Shacharit (morning) service with 100 students from the organization “Nefesh Yehudi,” most of whom were taking part in this service for the first time. We were surrounded by tens of thousands of people, different groups from across Israel and the entire world. I noticed the diversity of the people in attendance: tourists standing next to Israelis, children next to seniors. Most had walked to the Kotel after a night devoted to Torah learning.
Shortly after five in the morning, the sun began to rise over the Western Wall Plaza. Soon everyone recited the Ten Commandments which we received on this day thousands of years ago at Mount Sinai.
Of course, this wasn’t taking place only at the Kotel—it was happening throughout the Jewish world. Maybe you were at home with your children, at a neighborhood synagogue, with friends or family, or even outside Israel. Regardless of whether you experienced a moving or challenging holiday—each and every person, no matter where they were, received the Torah and, specifically, his or her own portion in the Torah.
But what can we take away from this? Where do we go from here?
On Shavuot it is customary to make a new commitment to Torah study. Our Sages explain that Shavuot is considered a “Rosh Hashanah” for the Torah, and that a new year of Torah study is about to begin. It is an appropriate time to dedicate ourselves to learning a specific part of the Torah or to joining a Torah class. In this way, we can find a practical way to continue the Revelation on Sinai by incorporating it into our daily lives. On the day after Shavuot, I encourage you to think of ways to continue receiving the Torah every day.
Shavua tov.
