23 May SHAVUOS: A THOUGHT FOR GOING INTO SHAVUOS

Everyone is aware
that the High Holiday
period between Rosh
HaShannah and Yom
Kippur is a period of
judgment (Din).
However, not everyone is aware that the Ari
z”l and the Shaloh HaKodesh write that
there is judgment on Shavuos as well. The
judgment of Shavuos affects each and every
one of us. On Shavuos there is Heavenly
Judgment that determines the degree of
success each of us will have in pursuing our
Torah studies during the coming year. Just
as the amount of material sustenance each
of us will receive for the next 12 months is
determined on Rosh HaShannah, the Day
of Judgment, so too the amount of spiritual
sustenance each of us will receive from our
Torah study during the next twelve months
is determined on the Day of the Giving of
the Torah.
We know how to prepare for Rosh
HaShannah. We know we are to pray, we
know we are to do mitzvos. These things

determine the nature of the Judgment we
receive during the season of the Days of
Awe. What are we supposed to do on
Shavuos in order that the Almighty will say
“if this is how he acts then he deserves to be
given a year of success in his learning
endeavors?”
The Sefarim say that a person’s judgment
in this matter is dependent on his desire
(cheshek) to learn. The more he wants it,
the more he shows the Ribono shel Olam
somehow that this is important to him and
he wants success in his learning endeavors,
the more he will receive it. It is this
“cheshek to learn” that determines the
extent to which the Almighty will allot him
success in learning.
This is what we have to demonstrate over
the next few days leading up to Shavuos –
our desire to learn! One develops a
‘cheshek’ if one comes to an appreciation
of what Torah is and of how important
Torah is to his life. Somehow, in these next
few days, we must spend time thinking of
the role Torah plays in our lives, the

importance that it has. In this way, we
can sincerely express to the Ribono
shel Olam our desire to grow in
learning.
There are different ways to
demonstrate ‘cheshek’. I heard a story
of a fellow from Manchester England
who was a mohel. He went to the
Ukraine to perform circumcisions for
Jewish Russian babies who had no
other access to ritual circumcision.
The mohel was met by a Rav from
Monsey who was visiting the Ukraine. The
Rav asked him to describe his most
memorable experience from the Ukraine.
The mohel related that he once went to

perform a milah in some off-the-beaten-
track little town in the Ukraine. At one time

– many years ago – the Ukraine was a
vibrant center of Jewish life and Jewish
living. It was a country of Chassidim and
men of action. Today, there is very little
Jewish life and in this town there was next
to nothing. The mohel found out that the
Bris was supposed to be in the shul. He
located the synagogue and walked
into the building, where he saw a
number of people gathered. He asked
them: What time are
you davening here? When is the
minyan?
They looked at him curiously and
asked “Daven? We do not daven. No
one here knows how to daven.” The
mohel asked “If you do not know
how to daven, what are all these
people doing in shul?” The person he
asked explained. “There are two
different things. There
is davening and there is coming to
shul. We do not know how
to daven, but still a Jew must come to
shul!”
So morning and evening, these Jews
who did not know which way was up
in a Siddur, came to shul because that
is what Jews are supposed to do.
They sit there, they schmooze, they
do not daven but they come to shul!
They might not achieve “Level B”
– davening, but at least they have
achieved “Level A” – coming to shul.
I wonder how the Almighty looks at
this. People do not know how
to daven. They know they are
supposed to daven and they feel bad
that they are unable to daven, but at
least they demonstrate to the Ribono

Shel Olam their desire to come to shul. It
would seem that such behavior gives much
“pleasure” (nachas Ruach) to the Ribono
shel Olam.
This is an example of how one
demonstrates “cheshek” – the desire to
become closer to the Master of the Universe.
We have to likewise demonstrate our desire
for learning Torah and for having success in
our learning. We need to feel and
demonstrate that “this is our life and the
length of our days”.
We are real good at asking “Bestow upon
us Hashem our G-d this year all its kinds of
crops for the best…” Everybody knows
how to sincerely ask for material sustenance.
We are real good at asking G-d to heal those
of us who are ill and to strengthen those of
us who are weak…when we need these
blessings. We are good at putting in requests
for all of our personal needs of a financial,
social, and material nature. We need to
focus on improving our Kavanah in
blessings that invoke Divine Aid in spiritual
matters as well.
The Chazaon Ish says the blessing of “Ata
Chonen L’Adam Da’as” [you bestow upon
man understanding] is the blessing where a
person should pray for Divine aid in his
Torah learning. In this blessing, in the
blessing Ahava Rabbah in the morning, and
in the blessing Ahavas Olam in the evening
(a facsimile of Ahava Rabbah) – these are
the places where our focus and sincerity
will be able to demonstrate how seriously
we are asking for Divine Assistance in
being able to learn and attach ourselves to
G-d’s Torah.
“For this is our life and the length of our
days” should not merely be lip service. It is
the reason for our very existence, the reason
for our lives. Let us hope we will all merit
Help of Heaven in our learning. May we
have an elevation this Shavuos and this
coming year, may we merit an increase in
our level of Torah, Fear of G-d, and
performance of mitzvos.