Page 28 - Harlem Shavuot Companion 2020

Shavuot, being the anniversary of the giving of the Torah, Zman matan torateinu, represents the
mystical aspect of the revelation at Mount Sinai, when G!d and the Jewish people came
together. This sacred connection is expressed in the metaphor of marriage, based upon the
prophecy of Hosea 2:21-22:

“I will betroth you unto Me forever. Yes, I will betroth you unto Me in righteousness, and
in justice, and in lovingkindness, and in compassion.
And I will betroth you unto Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord.”

This covenant is crafted into a wedding contract, inspired by the words of the Prophet Jeremiah
31:30: “I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel.” The Mishna Taanit 26B comments
that the wedding day of King Solomon (Shir HaShirim 3:11) refers to the giving of the Torah.
Ladino speakers lift up the theme of marriage with the chanting of La Ketubah de la Ley, a kompla
or rhymed poem from the 18th century by Rabbi Yehudah Leon Kalai. Through the text, we learn
that the moment of receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai was a marriage contract between the Jewish
people and The Holy One, very much like a ketubah today: the document that a bridegroom
presents to a bride just before the marriage ceremony, sealing the union while specifying the
conditions agreed by the two parties.

It is fitting to praise the G!d of greatness and of might
She carried with her the dowry that she brought from her father’s house
613 commandments shall be affirmed day and night
For the groom to fulfill and to keep
On the Sabbath day, the Jews received the Law (Torah) from G!d’s hand
On the sixth of Sivan, the third month, when Israel fled from Egypt
In the year 2448 when the world was created

Over and above the liturgical poetry, a longing for Sefarad comes along with memories of
promenades in endless gardens, where families would sit under the trees enjoying food and drink
like Nahmias’ raki, the anise-flavored drink ouzo from Salonica.
And there was “pan de siete cielos” - the bread of seven heavens that was consumed on the night
time of study. And whatever was left made it to the family outing! How does one make “pan de
siete cielos”? Milk, eggs, butter, anise liquor, and sugar combine in a mound of dough, the
centerpiece which stood for Mount Sinai where Moses and the people received Torah. Around this
mound, one built seven ropes of dough for seven celestial spheres. Decorations on top of the seven
rungs included the Hamza, Jacob’s Ladder, Tablets of Torah, a Magen David, even a serpent
symbolizing the moment of kvetching by the people.

“And the people spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why did you make us leave Egypt
to die in the wilderness? There is no bread and no water, and we have come to loathe this
miserable food.’ The Lord sent seraph serpents against the people. They bit the people and

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