As Depicted in the Torah, Shavuot Seems to Come in a Poor Third in the Trio of Pilgrimage Holidays
By Reuven Hammer, Head of the Rabbinical Court of the Masorti Movement
As depicted in the Torah, Shavuot seems to come in a poor third in the trio of pilgrimage holidays when all males are commanded to “appear before the Lord your God in the place that He will choose” (Deuteronomy 16:16). It lasts for only one day whereas both Succot and Pessah are a week long and Succot even has an extra day attached to it, Shmini Atzeret. Furthermore both Succot and Pessah are resplendent with colorful mitzvot and have historical as well as agricultural reasons, while Shavuot has no historical meaning and only the mitzva of first fruits and the offering of new grain (Numbers 28:26).
For the entire article
http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/Judaism/Article.aspx?id=175484
Shavuot and the Meaning of the Covenant
By David Hartman, Founding president of the Shalom Hartman Institute, Jerusalem
In honor of the festival of Shavuot, I propose looking at two of our tradition’s most important narratives – the binding of Isaac, and Abraham’s argument with God regarding the fate of the inhabitants of Sodom – as a way of penetrating the meaning of our covenant with God. These narratives constitute for me the two paradigmatic approaches to Jewish consciousness and character, and illuminate the true meaning of our covenantal relationship with the divine. As much as we commemorate the giving of the Torah itself on Shavuot, it is this covenantal bond that we celebrate and strive to understand.
For the entire article
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=175759
Pen Ultimate / Our wishes, His Command -- Shedding Some New Light on the Festival of Weeks By Michael Handelzalts
The sages agree the Torah was given to the Israelites then (on Shavuot). Indeed, we read that God descended upon Mount Sinai (which was "altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire," Exodus 19:18 ), and addressed the crowd, using the most advanced technology available - the equivalent of 3-D and quadraphonic sound (at the very least ). For as it says in the Book of Exodus (20:18 ): "And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking."
For the entire article
http://www.haaretz.com/magazine/week-s-end/pen-ultimate-our-wishes-his-command-1.290247
