27 May UNDER THE MOON

Shavuos is in the air. Z’man mattan
Torahseinu. The Yom Tov we celebrate the
giving of the Torah. Our receiving the
Aseres HaDibros, Ten Commandments to
live by. Commandments that have the
power to elevate, not just one man, but an
entire society.
Today, the Ten Commandments are in the
news. Jews and non-Jews alike have come
to the realization that the morals and ethics
embedded in the Ten Commandments are
display worthy in every classroom. Rules
to live by. To know that there is a G-d
above. To honor and respect one’s parents.
Not to steal. Not to kill. Not to be a false
witness – the importance of truth and
honesty. Not to be jealous of another’s
belongings – for when one becomes
obsessed over something, it can lead to
unscrupulous acts.
How tragic that there are those in today’s
society being raised devoid of these ethics
and morals. How many public schools
have become breeding grounds for crime

– from little petty thievery, to gang fights
and even school killings. Tragic acts,
whose prohibitions can be found in the Ten
Commandments. Equally tragic is the
thought that, despite sincere intentions, a
poster hanging in a classroom is going to
be a miraculous panacea bringing peace
and tranquility, respect and civility.
Becoming a mentch, an upstanding
member of society, doesn’t begin in adult
life. Morals and ethics must be taught from
the youngest age. When our children are
just babies, we sing to them lullabies of
Torah words. They go to sleep to the words
of Shema, they wake up to the words of
Modeh Ani. Children can’t be expected to
magically morph into responsible
adulthood. It doesn’t just happen, but must
be a taught way of life. A life our little ones
are surrounded with from the moment they
are born.
We read in the first parsha of Shema,
“V’shinantam l’vanecha, You shall teach
them (words of Torah) diligently to your
children, v’dibarta bom, and you shall
speak of them, b’shivticha b’veisecha,
while you are at home, u’v’lechtecha

vaderech, while you are on the
way, u’v’shochbecha
u’vekumecha, when you lie down
and when you get up.” (Devarim
6:7) To live, eat, feel, speak, even
breathe Torah. To integrate Torah
into every aspect of our lives,
every fiber of our very being.
This is so much more than a
poster hanging on a wall can ever
accomplish. Studying Torah is so
much more than a school course.
It is a way of life. HaShem’s
perfect prescription.
We know there are no coincidences.
Whether we are in favor of hanging posters
of the Ten Commandments in classrooms
or not isn’t the point. But how amazing is
it, that this week, the time of kabolas
haTorah over 3,300 years ago, is the same
week the story is in the news.
As I think about the upcoming Yom Tov,
some childhood memories come to mind.
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 Shavuos in our 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’nishmah” 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 children
were the guarantors of our generation.
HaShem was waiting to hear the powerful
words of “na’aseh v’nishmah” 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.
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. That no matter what
comes our way, we stand ready to
proclaim “na’aseh v’nishmah”. While the
word “Shavuos” means “weeks”,
representing the seven weeks between
Pesach and the receiving of the Torah, it
also alludes to the word “shevuah”,

meaning a vow, a promise, for it is on
Shavuos that 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.
As Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter, the first Gur
Rebbe, said “The giving of the Torah
happened at one specific time. But the
receiving of the Torah happens all the time,
in every generation.”
Na’aseh v’nishmah. 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.