07 Jun ON THIS DAY

There are some childhood memories that
one never forgets. Memories that remain
etched in your heart and soul. Memories
that even years later can be seen in your
mind’s eye. For me, one such memory is of
a special Shavuos.
I grew up in North Woodmere, a New York
suburb, where my parents were the Rabbi
and Rebbetzin of Ohr Torah. At the time, it
was the only Orthodox shul in the area.
They settled there with the dream of
bringing Yiddishkeit and Jewish life to the
community. Their home had an “open door
policy”, and so many were drawn in by the
warm and inviting atmosphere.
Sharon was one of the many who found
inspiration in the Rabbi’s and Rebbetzin’s
home.
Sharon had come home from college
shortly before Pesach, on her Spring break,
only to hear that her beloved grandmother,
who was so much a part of her life, was
diagnosed with cancer. The prognosis
wasn’t good. The doctors didn’t have much
hope.
Sharon turned to my parents for support
during that difficult time.
Pesach was approaching. My mother a”h
suggested that Sharon, together with her
grandmother, Mrs. Block, take on the
mitzva of counting Sefira, as a z’chus, a
merit.
Sharon was determined to fulfill this
mitzva, and extended her stay at home. She
and Mrs. Block began to count. One week,
two weeks, three weeks… never missing a
night. Grandmother and granddaughter
counting together. Five weeks, six weeks,
defying the doctors’ prediction. A miracle.
Seven complete weeks. Forty-nine days.
And then it was Shavuos, the count was
complete.
Shavuos day. After shul, my father zt”l
lovingly wrapped the holy sefer Torah in a
taalis. My parents, together with members
of the shul and their families, marched
down Hungry Harbor Road, from the shul
towards Sharon’s home.
My father brought the Torah into the living
room where Mrs. Block was resting on a

hospital bed. Even though she was weak
and ailing, she gathered her strength and
cried out together with my parents “na’aseh
v’nishma – I will do and I will listen”, the
very same pledge our ancestors recited
over three thousand years ago at Har Sinai.
Na’aseh v’nishmah. A pledge we continue
to say today.
The next day, Mrs. Block’s neshama
ascended to the heavens and returned to its
Creator, taking with it the mitzva of
counting Sefira, and declaring na’aseh
v’nishma.
“With our young and our elders we will
go… with our sons and our daughters…”
(Shemos 10:9) Moshe’s words to Pharaoh
come to mind as I recall the story of Sharon
and her grandmother. “With our young and
with our elders…” From the ancient
civilization of Egypt, to the modern-day
suburb of North Woodmere, young and old
together, we turn to HaShem.
Shavuos night was always special in my
parents’ home. My father would lead a
Torah study learning with members of the
shul seated around our dining room table.
At midnight, my mother would take us
children out to the back porch. She would
tell us that at that very moment, the
heavens were opening up. HaShem is
waiting for us to proclaim “na’aseh
v’nishma” just as the Jewish nation did at
Sinai.
My mother told us how our ancestors
pledged their children as the guarantors
of the Torah, and that now, we were the
guarantors of our generation. HaShem
was waiting to hear the powerful words
of “na’aseh v’nishma” from us. It was up
to us to continue on with the unbroken
chain from Sinai.
As I looked upward, gazing into the night
sky, I was certain that I saw the heavens
open.
“The giving of the Torah happened at one
specific time. But the receiving of the
Torah happens all the time, in every
generation.”
(Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter, the first Ger
Rebbe; 1799-1866)
Shavuos isn’t merely an historical event,
commemorating the past. It marks a
continuous commitment for each
generation to reaffirm its acceptance of
HaShem’s Torah. No matter what comes
our way, we stand ready to proclaim
“na’aseh v’nishma”. While the word

“Shavuos” means “weeks”, representing
the seven weeks between Pesach and the
receiving of the Torah, it also alludes to the
word “shevua”, meaning a vow, a promise,
for on Shavuos we renew the vow to make
Torah the centrality of our lives. In return,
HaShem vows His eternal devotion to us,
and keeps His promise to us as His chosen
people.
HaShem gifted the Torah to us, but unlike
other gifts, it comes with the responsibility
of “living the gift” — keeping mitzvos,
doing good deeds and being an ohr lagoyim,
a light unto the nations of the world.
We learn about our nation standing at Sinai
and receiving the Torah in Parshas Yisro.
“In the third month from the Exodus of
Bnei Yisroel from Egypt, on this day, they
arrived at the Wilderness of Sinai” (Shemos
19:1)
“Bayom hazeh, on this day”. Rashi
questions why the words “bayom hazeh –
on this day” are used. Wouldn’t it have
been more correct for the Torah to state
“bayom hahu – on that day”?
Rashi explains that the receiving of the
Torah should be chadoshim – fresh and
new, k’ilu hayom nesanam – as if it was
given to us each and every day.
Bnei Yisroel arrived to Sinai on a spiritual
high in anticipation of receiving the Torah.
The Chumash tells us “on this day…”
Don’t lose the inspiration, the excitement
of something new. Like the first time we
put on a special outfit, drive a new car, or
visit an exotic new country – we get a thrill.
So too, when it comes to Torah, that special
feeling of chadash – newness, should
remain with us always.
Bayom hazeh. On this day. Every day.
Na’aseh v’nishma. We will do, we will
listen, we will accept. Words not just for
Shavuos, but words for each and every day.
Words of the soul.