A New Idea for Shavuot!
So, every year G-d, the Master of the Universe, Hakadosh Baruch Hu, gives us the Torah. (and by the way, as an aside, I used to think that the pyrotechnics of year one were not repeated, and only the Torah is given again and again. The Slonimer Rebbe says that even the pyrotechnics - the "lights" of Matan Torah are given again, how about that?!) And of course, we hope that every year we receive the Torah, again and again, with the same exuberance that the Children of Israel had when they stood around Mt.Sinai that AWESOME first time.
But are we just receiving the Torah, again? Or are we RECEIVING the TORAH again for the FIRST time?
....and how do we do that? How do we receive the Torah A-NEW?
So, I think we need to do a "Cut and Paste." We need to get past our old "first impressions" which often become "lasting impressions" because sometimes they weren't really the EMES (Truth) Impressions that we thought they were, and replace them with newness. I mean, maybe we've even grown and added more knowledge to our data bases and actually see, feel, hear things differently, but are still stuck with those old impressions....hmmmm....sound familiar???
But, the question remains, how do we make things new? How do we receive the Torah A-New?
...and here is my humble, new idea!
This Shavuot, let's dedicate ourselves to learning, or doing something that we used to like to learn, or do. Something that for some reason has been replaced, and maybe even forgotten, but something that used to be powerful, and positive, something we were connected to, something we liked learning or doing. Maybe it's taking out a Chumash with Rashi. Maybe it's going back to the Mei Hashiloach, or to Mishna Berurah. Maybe it's taking a walk with a loved one......Maybe it's eating Cheese Cake -- ok, that never gets old, right?
But seriously, I think that if we remind ourselves that something "old" can be "new", by doing something old, again - we will come to see the potential in the actual. Hey, who knows, maybe we will trust ourselves to really be able to make the routine new again. Maybe we will be able to receive the Torah like the first time, and bring a NEW OFFERING to Hashem - a "mincha chadasha," as the Slonimer says.
G-d is giving us the Torah like he gave it to us the first time.
I bless us all, please bless me back, that we can receive it like we received it the First Time.
Naaseh V'Nishma everybody.
Have a Chag Sameyach.
Remeber, we will be off the air Tuesday night and Wednesday, returning after the chag around 8:30/9:00 PM Jerusalem Time, Wednesday night.
C Ya on the Radio!!!
