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B"H

Tuesday, Iyar 29, 5781 (44th day of the Omer) / May 11, 2021

 

The holiday of Shavuot begins next Sunday night, May 16, through Monday (May 17) & Tuesday (May 18). In Israel, only one day is celebrated while in the Diaspora we celebrate two days.

 

On Shavuot we celebrate G-d’s giving us the Torah on Mount Sinai. Here are questions & answers concerning the Holiday of Shavuot.

 

Below are some of the many names Mount Sinai has:

 

1. Har Sinai comes from the word Sneh - bush. This refers to the burning bush on Mount Sinai, where G-d’s first revelation to Moshe took place. It was there that G-d told Moshe to speak to Pharaoh to let the Jewish people out of Egypt.

 

Also, Sinai is the same as the word sinahhatred. By giving the Torah to the Jewish people and not to other nations, it caused a hatred by the other nations.

 

2. Har Ha-Elo-him - G-d's Mountain. It is called so because G-d revealed Himself there in His great glory to the Jewish people.

 

3. Beit Imi - My Mother's House. At Mount Sinai the Jews were like newborns as they became a newborn nation, thus, Mount Sinai was like a mother who gave birth to the Jewish nation.

 

4. Har Chorev - from the word cherev - sword. The Midrash explains that this name comes from the fact that the Torah invests special powers to the courts with the authority to punish by capital punishment.

 

5. Har Chemed - Desirable Mountain. G-d desired this mountain as the place from which to give the most desirable treasure, the Torah, to the Jewish people.

 

6. Har Bashan - from the word shen - tooth. Sustenance comes to the world in the merit of Torah study. Just as teeth prepare the food for digestion, so too the Torah brings nourishment to the world. For this reason Torah is compared to various foods.

 

7. Har Gavnunim - from the word gevina - cheese. Cheese is a metaphor for purity. It is also one of the reasons we eat dairy on Shavuot.

 

8. Har Moriah - Mountain of Teaching – On this mountain G-d taught Moshe the Torah.

 

Q. How much time did Moshe spend on Mount Sinai?

 

A. Moshe was on Mount Sinai for a total of 120 days.

 

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY, SUCCESSFUL AND WONDERFUL DAY