Last night, our friend Sol came to visit. He showed us a sefer Torah, a Torah scroll, he commissioned several years ago. Originally from Munkacs, Sol was transported to Auschwitz where over one hundred members of his family were gassed, shot, hung, and tortured to death. Starving and racked with disease, Sol fasted on Yom Kippur. This, he told me, was a conscious act of defiance aginst the Germans. This rebellion made Sol feel like a free man. For the faithful Jew, Torah and mitzvot, are the means by which liberty is experienced.
The holiday of Shavuot begins to tonight.
Shavuot is a holiday in which we celebrate:
1. The giving of the Torah to the Jewish people.
2. The harvesting of wheat in Israel.
3. The ripening of the first fruit in the land of Israel.
In a sense, Shavuot provides a resolution to the holiday of Passover.
On Passover, the Jewish people were freed from slavery.
And on Shavuot the Jewish people, as freed slaves, were given liberty when G-d transmitted the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai.
Freedom for the Jewish people, first and foremost, means accepting and living the moral code transmitted by G-d through the written and oral Torah.
Indeed, the Ten Commandments are not only the foundation of Judaism but the basis of moral law for all civilized nations.
Perhaps this is the reason Jews have been persecuted for so long. The world has never forgiven our gift of ethical standards, our love of goodness and—
—and the mitzvah to hate evil.
Karen and I wish all our friends and relatives a happy and joyous Shavuot. We will be offline until Friday.
Ariel Chaim Avrech, ZT'L, May His Righteous Memory be a Blessing.
9 Comments
Johnny:
We’re so glad that through Seraphic Secret we’re able to shed a bit of light on Judaism.
We also appreciate your articulate comments, on politics and movies, that make us think a second time.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
PCD:
Your words of nechama, consolation, are greatly appreciated.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Prophet Joe:
Thanks so much for the kind words. We are all in this together.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Pearl:
Karen bakes an incredible low calorie cheese cake. Hope you had a wonderful Yom Tov.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Robert, my greatest pleasure from your blog is learning about the Jewish faith, the historical background and meaning of Jewish rituals and holidays,and your emphasis on the truth about the long historical roots of Judaism in the ME.
Thanks for the education and the low tuition.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I second all of PCD’s emotions.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Robert and Karen,
May you gain peace from participation this week. May G-d heal your internal wounds. May you come back to a world that is waking up to its evil.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Keep up the great work here, Robert. Not only do you teach us (gentiles) about the Jewish tradition, the inside workings of Hollywood and footwear fashion, but, more importantly, you shine the light of truth on the evil darkness in this world. Anti-semitism must be fought through continual education. You bring that truth to light (far) better than most.
I hope you and Karen have a joyous Shavuot too!
ProphetJoe
http://americanapologist.com
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Have a good Yom Tov, Robert & Karen. (nothing “cheesy” about that)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0