Tikun Leil Shavuot ~ Saturday, June 11th, 10:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. ~ Torah and Tannins ( Red Wine , Black Tea, Dark Chocolate )
On Shavuot, we celebrate what chazal (our rabbinic sages) called Z’man Matan Torateinu, meaning the time when our Torah was gifted (to us). Although a most important Jewish holiday, many of us (North American progressive Jews) have minimal knowledge of Shavuot, its meaning, customs, and significance. Perhaps this has something to do with a modern sense of discomfort with the
“credibility” of the Torah’s narrative of God
giving
Torah on Mount Sinai. However, as we know, stories don’t need to be factual to be true. Allegorical mythology is a powerful method of conveying deep wisdom and basic truths by which we can guide our lives. Through this lens, one can both appreciate the gift of Torah and the story of its gifting (the narrative we are given in Sh’mot/Exodus and its prolific commentary throughout the ages).
Judaism is as much a story-telling wisdom tradition as it is a tradition rooted in laws and principles. We learn much from our stories, and even more from the sheer number of them and the fact that they freely contradict one another. Contrasting ideas are appreciated and valued. Midrash (commentary) around the giving of Torah at Mount Sinai tells that every person heard God’s voice differently, each according to that one’s ability to comprehend (Sh’mot Rabbah
5:9). Another midrash teaches that the Voice went out to all the seventy nations of the world, each in its own language (BT Shabbat 88b). Yet another midrash tells that nothing, not the sea, no animal, not even the angels made a sound; “the whole earth was hushed into breathless silence” when the Voice (God) spoke (Sh’mot Rabbah 29:9). The plain language (p’shat) of Torah gives us a different understanding of what was actually heard (Sh’mot/Exodus 19).
Diversity of interpretation is one of the greatest treasures of Judaism. Throughout history, our sacred books (“Torah” in the larger sense of the word) have recorded the debates of generations of thinkers, demonstrating that disagreement and creative understanding are all part of the process of trying to discern the truth and value in these ancient words.
In keeping with the theme of divergent and convergent opinion, our tikun leil Shavuot this year will focus on this question: What does it mean to, at once, be a diverse and a unified People? We will do a bit of exploration of the books of
Ruth and Nehemiah using an article by Dr. Jacob L. Wright and Prof. Rabbi Tamara Eskanazi as a jumping off point. Please
click here
and download this article and bring it with you on Erev Shavuot to Jessica’s home. If you need directions, please contact littleminyan@littleminyan.org.
Ruth and Naomi interpretation by Dr. He Qi, Nanjing Union Theological Seminary
