B"H
Monday Iyar 26, 5777 / May 22, 2017 (41st day of the Omer)
The holiday of Shavuot is in ten days. The holiday begins, Tuesday night, May 30. Shavuot is celebrated one day in Israel and two days in the Diaspora. Thus, in Israel the holiday is Tuesday night (May 30) & Wednesday (May 31). In the Diaspora it also extends into Thursday (June 1).
Shavuot commemorates one of the most important events in Jewish history; the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. The Torah was given 3329 years ago, in the Hebrew calendar year 2448.
Shavuot in Hebrew means "weeks." Shavuot is the only holiday for which the Torah did not establish a specific day of the month. It is celebrated on the 50th day, after counting the Omer for a period of seven weeks.
Q. The three festive holidays; Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot are in the spring, summer and fall.Why are there no festive holidays in the winter?
A. In the days of the Holy Temple it was a mitzvah for Jews living in Israel to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the festive holidays and celebrate there. Our sages explain that G-d didn't want to make it difficult for the people to have to go to Jerusalem during the winter, so He didn't assign any holidays during the cold and rainy winter months.
Q. On Shavuot G-d gave us the Torah. What is the meaning of the word, "Torah"?
A. "Torah" means to "teach" and to "guide". The Torah teaches and guides us how to conduct our lives in accordance with G-d's will. Torah is the purpose of creation.
Q. The Ten Commandments are first recorded in the Torah in the Book of Exodus (chapter 20). They total 620 letters. What is the significance of this number to the Torah?
A. In the Torah there are 613 commandments (mitzvot). In addition to these mitzvot, the sages have added another seven mitzvot, which together make 620. The 620 letters in the Ten Commandments alludes to the fact that all the mitzvot are rooted and enshrined in the Ten Commandments.
Fifty years ago, on this day, Monday morning, the 26th of the Hebrew month Iyar, is when the Six Day War broke out. I was a student in Israel at that time and personally witnessed the great miracles. Two days later, on that ever memorable Wednesday, the 28th of Iyar, the old city of Jerusalem, the Kotel and many other holy places were finally freed and returned to their rightful owners - the Jewish people. I can still hear the sound of the Shofar at the Kotel and the paratroopers exclaiming, “Har Habayit Beyadeinu” – “The Temple Mount is in our hands!” May it be in our hands forever! Amen.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY