Page 20 - Harlem Shavuot Companion 2020

You Matter and Make a Difference

By Rhonda Taylor, Co-Leader of Rosh Chodesh Group at Old Broadway Synagogue

Shavuot, the holiday of the Torah, is a concluding holiday to
Passover and is referred to by the Talmudic name Atzeret meaning
"conclusion". We were free at the foot of Mount Sinai on this
holiday. The 49 days that connect Passover with Shavuot

correspond to the 49 drives and traits of the human heart. Each day
saw the refinement of one of these Sefirot (traits), bringing the
people of Israel one step closer to spiritual perfection. Each year we

retrace this inner journey with our "counting of the Omer". Shavuot
also means "oaths,'' for on this day G-d swore eternal devotion to us
and we, in turn, pledged everlasting loyalty to Him. The Book of
Ruth is read on Shavuot because she expressed her loyalty to the
Ruth is read on Shavuot because she expressed her loyalty to the Torah by aligning herself

with Judaism. Jews are not averse to receiving willing converts. The Talmud refers to a
Torah by aligning herself with Judaism.
convert as a "child newly born". We rejoice on Shavuot by eating cheese based food such
as blintzes, quiches, kreplach, cheesecake, and desserts sweetened with honey "that the

Torah might be sweet on our lips". Two cheese blintzes represent the two tablets of the
Ten Commandments. The Shavuot challah has a ladder design placed on top to
commemorate the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. The ladder design was chosen

because the numerical value of the Hebrew word for "Sinai''(130) is the same as that of
the Hebrew word for "ladder" (sulam). The ladder symbolizes the ascent of Moses to
receive the Ten Commandments. According to an ancient tradition, Mount Sinai was once

a green mountain with trees and shrubs. This tradition led to the custom of decorating the
synagogue with greenery for Shavuot. We should decorate our homes with plants, flowers,
branches or miniature trees. G-d commanded all Jews to observe Shavuot by resting and
refraining from all manner of work. It should be celebrated with joy and merriment.

We are in quarantine the Latin root for which means forty (40). It is an isolation imposed

to keep contagious diseases like the Coronavirus, etc. from spreading, a place for such
isolation, to set apart from others and to place alone. Moses stayed on Mount Sinai for 40
days to receive the Ten Commandments. A group of theologians think the number 40

represents "change". Shavuot means weeks and we have been quarantined for weeks. We
have heard on the news some phrases about the quarantine - Social Distancing, Self
Isolation, Shelter in Place, Better Together, Quaran-team, Stay Home, Stronger Together
Not Apart, Quaran-time and the United States of Isolation. We are looking at the world

from inside out. A quarantine is a time to reflect, sit, be still, and pray more.

"Don't panic. Pray". It is easy for life to get in the way of our prayers. Seen on a sign:
Prayer is not a “spare wheel” that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a “steering
wheel” that directs the right path throughout. Open your siddur and Torah before you

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