We have spent the last seven weeks since Passover counting the days and weeks to Shavuot, which begins this Tuesday evening. What does this suggest about the holiday we call the "Time of the Giving of the Torah"? We await the Torah's arrival like one would await the arrival of a beloved friend...or a lover. We count every day in growing anticipation of Torah's passionate entrance, as this classical midrash suggests:
Shir HaShirim Rabbah 1:12-13
“Give me the kisses of your mouth!” (Song of Songs 1:2). When was this said? Rabbi Yochanan answered: It was said at Mount Sinai!
An angel carried each of the Ten Commandments from the Holy One of Blessing and brought it to each Israelite and said, “Do you accept this commandment? These rules are attached to it, these penalties, these precautions, these precepts, these lenient and strict rulings, and these rewards. Do you accept?” The Israelite would answer, “Yes!” The angel then said, “Do you accept the Holy One of Blessing as your God?” The Israelite would answer, “Yes, Yes!” Immediately, the angel kissed the Israelite on the mouth.
The rabbis, however, say that it is not an angel that kisses each Israelite. It is the commandments themselves.
There is no question about the kind of kiss that the Torah's commandments are delivering. Song of Songs, after all, is not about chaste pecks on the cheek! This is a passionate, amorous kiss that comes with the acceptance of the Torah. Does it seem strange that we would think of the laws of the Torah as sensuous pillow-talk between lovers? How can we re-imagine the Ten Commandments as a cosmic come-on that God is whispering into our ears?
This is exactly the way the rabbis intend for us to understand Torah. Beneath the outer garments of laws and rules, Torah is a love-song between God and Israel in which the deep secrets of divinity are revealed. God is wooing us to enter into the ways of the Torah, to walk along paths that draw us into the deepest joy of living life fully and meaningfully. The laws of the Torah are a tantric courtship stimulating us to the highest levels of awareness in our relationship with God.
On Tuesday night, the Torah will call to us, beckoning us to come spend the night together (!) in the practice of Tikkun Leil Shavuot, the all-night study session on the night of Shavuot. The wait has been long—we've been counting the days and weeks—but when your lover arrives, you, too, will say, "Yes! Yes!"
Shir HaShirim Rabbah 1:12-13
“Give me the kisses of your mouth!” (Song of Songs 1:2). When was this said? Rabbi Yochanan answered: It was said at Mount Sinai!
An angel carried each of the Ten Commandments from the Holy One of Blessing and brought it to each Israelite and said, “Do you accept this commandment? These rules are attached to it, these penalties, these precautions, these precepts, these lenient and strict rulings, and these rewards. Do you accept?” The Israelite would answer, “Yes!” The angel then said, “Do you accept the Holy One of Blessing as your God?” The Israelite would answer, “Yes, Yes!” Immediately, the angel kissed the Israelite on the mouth.
The rabbis, however, say that it is not an angel that kisses each Israelite. It is the commandments themselves.
There is no question about the kind of kiss that the Torah's commandments are delivering. Song of Songs, after all, is not about chaste pecks on the cheek! This is a passionate, amorous kiss that comes with the acceptance of the Torah. Does it seem strange that we would think of the laws of the Torah as sensuous pillow-talk between lovers? How can we re-imagine the Ten Commandments as a cosmic come-on that God is whispering into our ears?
This is exactly the way the rabbis intend for us to understand Torah. Beneath the outer garments of laws and rules, Torah is a love-song between God and Israel in which the deep secrets of divinity are revealed. God is wooing us to enter into the ways of the Torah, to walk along paths that draw us into the deepest joy of living life fully and meaningfully. The laws of the Torah are a tantric courtship stimulating us to the highest levels of awareness in our relationship with God.
On Tuesday night, the Torah will call to us, beckoning us to come spend the night together (!) in the practice of Tikkun Leil Shavuot, the all-night study session on the night of Shavuot. The wait has been long—we've been counting the days and weeks—but when your lover arrives, you, too, will say, "Yes! Yes!"
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